Deity Wars
by Shinata-Riyoko
Summary: A/U Fic: War, only the strongest shall prevail. Vampires? Gods? We are one and the same. Who will ascend the throne as the new 'King? Now Rated M for Violence and Language.
1. Chapter 1: Memories

A.N – First attempt at an AU story with the Grey's cast, I do hope you like. It might be a little messy at parts, especially with the flashbacks, etc. But I'm getting there, hopefully.

* * *

Chapter 1: Memories

_*Flashback*_

_The sixteen year old blonde paced her room nervously, "I'm gonna do it, yes now…. Right". She finally mustered the courage to walk downstairs, wondering around until she spotted the older blonde in the kitchen cooking. _

"_Mom!" _

"_Yes dear?"_

"_I have to tell you something"_

"_Yes dear?" She answered absentmindedly whilst continuing to add spices to her pot._

"_Moooooom! I'm serious, can you look at me?" The younger girl pouted._

_Hearing the whine, the older woman paused immediately and turned around, putting on her most serious and stern face. "Yes dear?"_

_Not expecting the sudden change, the younger blonde panicked. "Um … I … er…"_

_The older blonde smiled and went to turn back to her cooking._

"_I'm gay!" The teen blurted, then winced, she closed her eyes, expecting an explosion from her mother, screaming about hell, quoting the bible and throwing her out the house. _

"_I know dear." The younger blonde's eyes flew open and stared at her mother._

"_You ... You know? What? How?" it was completely unexpected and had completely thrown her off her game._

"_Yes dear," was the only reply she got before the older woman started stirring her pot again._

"_Wait, that's it? You're not gonna throw me out the house or anything are you?" She had no idea what was going on, it had taken her a week before finally deciding to tell her parents about her sexuality._

_The older blonde sighed before turning off the stove and sitting down at the table, motioning for her daughter to join her._

"_I don't know what you're expecting me to do. I've always had my suspicions; you never were much interested in the boys you play with all the time. You were always so focused on rough housing with the boys, the only time your attention was drawn away was when there was a pretty girl nearby." _

_The teen blushed at her mother's revelation. "Mooooom! I was 12, there's no way you could've known then!"_

"_A mother always knows my dear."_

"_What do you think dad will say? You think he'd be okay with it?" Her biggest fear was her father's reaction. She adored her father, idolised him, and would be heart-broken if he rejected her._

"_Don't worry about him dear, if he isn't okay with it, just send him my way. I'll make sure he accepts you" She reassured her daughter, patting her hand._

"_So why have you suddenly decided to tell me now? Have you met someone? Is it from school? Any one that I've met yet?" The teen went bright red, her mother was enjoying far too much._

"_Mooooooom!"_

"_Come on now, I thought this was sharing time? You've settled into this new neighbourhood quite well, and you just started classes at a new high school 2 months ago, I bet someone's caught your eye. That's why you're telling me right? You want to introduce her to us?" The older blonde clapped gleefully._

"_No! … Well, not exactly. Yes someone's caught me eye, or I've got my eye on someone, whatever. Just, there's someone I like"_

_The older blonde grabbed her daughter into a fierce hug._

"_Oh, you have to tell me about her, what's she like? Is she pretty? Oh, my daughter's in love!" The blonde swooned._

_The teen giggled at her mom's behavior, but hugged back just as fiercely._

"_I wouldn't say love just yet mom. But yes, she's pretty; no, she's more than that, she's gorgeous, and kind, and just all around amazing." The teen gushed._

"_Oh, you have to tell me her name!"_

"_Of course, it's …"_

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

"Gah!" The blonde woman shot up from her couch.

"Another nightmare?" came a voice to her left. She turned and saw a shadow sitting on her windowsill, looking out the window onto the streets below.

"Why are you in my front room"

"Why are _you_ in your front room?" The shadow shot back, "Don't you have a pretty comfy bed in your room over there?"

"I got off late, last night, so I just crashed here. I couldn't be bothered to get into bed, I was too tired" The blonde shrugged. "Still haven't told me why you're here"

The shadow just shrugged and ignored the blonde's question. "So, nightmare?"

"I don't know. I think it's a memory, or something. Something from the past probably." For some reason she couldn't quite place the memory, she knew it was her, but from when? It didn't make sense to her.

The shadow stared at the blonde silently for a while before moving the sit next to the blonde on the couch.

"Past, as in past life? Or past, as in back when you were still…"

"I don't know!" The blonde cut off, "I can't remember, you know as well as I do T, my memories are lacking. When you found me, I didn't even know my own name. How long did it take before I could tell you who I was?"

The shadow held their hands up in a submissive way, "Woah, hey, I'm sorry Art, just trying to help ya know?" The shadow stood up again, "Oh by the way, I wanted to let you know that Apollo's coming back soon, he's got some information for us."

The blonde perked up considerable, "Tim's coming back? When?"

The shadow stared at the blonde, rolling their eyes, "Yes, _Timothy's_ coming back. Tomorrow, most likely, if not, then by the end of the week."

The blonde nodded happily, "You know, I don't get why you can't just call us by our actual names? I mean I get the aliases, but still, must you _always_ call us that?"

"No I don't …" They were interrupted by the sound of a pager going off, "Well, looks like it's work for you _Doctor Robbins."_

"Dammit! I _just_ got home 4 hours ago!" The blonde moaned.

"No rest for the wicked my dear Artemis." They were interrupted by the sound of a second pager going. The blonde smirked up at her partner.

"Looks like you're being called in too, _Doctor Ryans, _ooh wait, or do you prefer _Athena?" _Athena stared at her un-amused. She turned to leave the apartment, heading towards the hospital, before she suddenly remembered.

"Oh hey, remember to _feed_ before you leave, it's probably going to be a long day, I'll cover for you if you need the time." With that, she was gone, leaving the blonde to her thoughts.

"_That conversation with my mother, why don't I remember it? My mother … I couldn't even see what her face looked like in my dream, why don't I remember her? Was that really my mother? What happened to me?"_

The blonde sighed before getting up and walking to her fridge, the dream she'd had was still plaguing her thoughts.

"_Oh, you have to tell me about her, what's she like? Is she pretty? Oh, my daughter's in love!"_

"_I wouldn't say love just yet mom. But yes, she's pretty; no, she's more than that, she's gorgeous, and kind, and just all around amazing." The teen gushed._

"_Oh, you have to tell me her name!"_

"_Of course, it's …"_

The blonde opened her fridge and reached inside,

"_Of course…"_

She pulled out a pack filled with a deep crimson liquid,

"_Of course, it's …"_

She sighed before revealing her fangs and sinking them deep into the blood pack.

"_It's Callie, Callie Torres"._

* * *

A.N – Right so far all you have to know is that Apollo, Artemis and Athena are all names of Greek Gods/Goddesses, you don't really need to know that much into the history of each Diety, that doesn't really matter, I'm really only using the names and other than small details, e.g. Apollo and Artemis are twins, Athena is really smart, and more that will be included later on.

A.N 2 – Also as a heads up I will be using a lot of the Greek Deities' names and some of the relationships, i.e. the brotherhood of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, but you shall find out more later!


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Seattle

A.N: Why thank you all for the follows, hope you all do like where this is going. It might be a while before we can progress further, gotta get all the characters out. There'll also probably be a few more flashbacks to explain everything. Bear with me whilst it happens though =]

* * *

Chapter 2: Welcome to Seattle

The two Latinas stood by the front entrance, staring up at the building in front of them.

"Seattle Grace Mercy West huh?" said one.

"Yup, guess it's where we're spending the majority of our days at" replied the other.

"Yaaaaaay" came the reply, heavily laced with sarcasm.

Before either one could say anything more, a young brunette dressed in light blue scrubs approached them, holding onto a clipboard.

"Hi, you must be Doctor Torres, and Doctor uh …" she quickly glanced down at her clipboard "Torres?" she glanced back up at the two Latinas, confusion evident in her eyes.

"Yup, I'm Aria Torres" she pointed at herself proudly, "And this here's my big sister Callio-" she was interrupted by a elbow to the stomach, "ahem, I mean Callie."

The young brunette studied the two doctors in front of her; they were both stunningly beautiful. Both possessed long, dark hair, though Callie left hers to drift down passed her shoulders naturally, whereas Aria had hers up in a long ponytail.

"Ah, right, well I'm Alexandra Grey, most people here call me Lexie, or Little Grey even. I'm a resident here, and I'm supposed to show you around today."

The two Latina's stared at her. Lexie was generally a happy person, and well liked, but the two doctors in front of her threatened to completely damper her mood. They intimidated her. She could feel her smile start to drop.

Aria gave the young doctor a glance over. _"Hmmm, small petit frame, fair skin, brunette, kinda perky." _She gave a quick glance over to her sister, who was staring uninterestedly at the girl, before moving her eyes back to the doctor, _"She's cute" _she decided.

Callie just stared at the girl. _"She's too perky, it makes me want to slap her. Why am I even here? Why couldn't I just stay in Miami? My only saving grace are that Mark, and Addie are here, God kill me now!" _She glared and saw the young brunette shifting around nervously; she raised a brow, _"Hm? This could be interesting"._

"_Oh god, oh god, why is she glaring at me? Did I do something? Why me?" _It was the only thought passing through Lexie's head. She couldn't help but start shifting around nervously. The silence was killing her.

Deciding to break the silence, and save the poor girl from her sister's stare down, Aria spoke up.

"So Doctor Grey, where's the first stop?" She gave the girl her most sincere smile, hoping to apologise for her sister's action.

Grateful for the distraction, Lexie immediately jumped into action. "Right, well The Chief, Doctor Hunt that is, wants the two of you to head towards the conference room for now. He said he wanted to formally introduce you to the some of the department heads. They're in a meeting right now, so everyone should be there. Then I'm going to give you a quick tour of the hospital and show you where you'll be working."

She walked into the lobby, and seeing the two doctors following her, headed straight for the elevator.

* * *

"Woah Cal, what's with the death stare?" Aria whispered, as soon as Lexie was a short distance away.

"She's too perky, I don't do perky. God, I hope she isn't my resident!"

Aria laughed out loud, seeing her sister whine. "Well aren't you just a ball of sunshine? The poor girl was just being nice, you should try it sometime Cal."

Callie just glared at her younger sister, "Shut up".

The dutifully followed Lexie into the elevator and got off at the third floor. They saw a few nurses, patients and family members of patients milling around, but nothing particular caught their attention. They trailed behind Lexie as she walked down a corridor and finally stopped at a door, waiting and she knocked. When they were granted entrance, the door opened and they were met with a long table filled with Doctors all wearing navy scrubs and lab coats. Callie caught the eye of her two friends, Addison and Mark, before plastering a fake smile and following Aria's lead to the head of the table where a red haired doctor sat.

The red haired doctor stood up immediately and held his hand out. "Ah, you must be Doctor Torres… well, Torreses. I suppose?" He chuckled at his own statement. "I'm Owen Hunt, Chief of Surgery, welcome to Seattle Grace Mercy West."

Before anyone could say anything, they were distracted by commotion at the door, where two Doctors practically fell through, adjusting their lab coats as they stood up straight and brushed imaginary dirt off their coats.

"Sorry about that Chief, we got paged in earlier, just got out of surgery, heard you wanted us all here, so we came as soon as." Callie watched as they explained their tardiness. The one who spoke was the taller of the two, she had black hair, which just ended passed her shoulders, fair skinned, slim, but what caught her attention was the eyes. They were dark, really dark, and attentive. Even though she was speaking to the Chief, and laughing at their own entrance, she was staring the two newcomers, and her eyes were cold. When she noticed Callie staring at her; whatever was in her eyes disappeared, replaced quickly with a warmer and less hostile look.

"Oh new members? Pleased to meet ya! The name's Ryans, Terri Ryans, Head of Trauma" she held her hand out for them to shake, "And this here's Doctor Robbins, Head of Peds".

Callie turned her attention to the second person, she took in her blonde hair, long and tied up in a loose ponytail, milky white skin, cerulean eyes, and froze. _"It can't be…"_

"Arizona?" The blonde's attention snapped up from where she was shaking hands with Aria. She looked at Callie, taking her in.

"Yeah, um, do I know you?" Arizona felt a tug she couldn't explain, had she met this woman before? She seemed to know her name before any proper introductions were made, but Arizona didn't know her. Did she? Surely she would remember if she knew someone as beautiful as her.

The entire room looked between Arizona and Callie, worried that there would be a conflict of interest. Many thoughts passed their heads; they all had their own theories as to how the two women knew each other, the most popular one being a forgotten one-night stand.

"Um, sort of. We went to high school together." Callie couldn't believe it. _"She doesn't remember me? Why?"_

Terri cut in before Arizona could reply, though it didn't look like she would be any time soon. Arizona was staring at Callie, mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out.

"Yeaaaah, about that. Ari doesn't remember anything from before she woke up in hospital."

"What happened?" It was Aria who spoke up, as Callie seemed to be imitating Arizona in her speechlessness and gold fish impression.

"There was an accident." There was finality to Terri's voice, which conveyed the thought that she was not going to give any further detail regarding the accident.

"Right," Owen's commanding tone cut through the silence that had prevailed, "Doctor Ryans, Doctor Robbins, if you would take a seat." As the two doctors went to take their seat, Owen continued with introducing Callie and Aria.

"These are the two new attendings that will be working with you, so first we'll go around the table and you can introduce yourselves." Turning to Callie, "I apologise, we don't seem to have a full house right now, a few of our department heads are away at a conference, but we'll get you introduced as soon as they return."

Turning back to address the table, "The floor is yours doctors."

"Addison Montgomery, Head of Neonatal Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology" The red haired woman smiled at Callie knowingly.

"Mark Sloan, Head of Plastics" He gave Callie a flirty smile, which Callie just ignored.

"Derek Shepherd, Head of Neuro" The dark haired man gave Callie a smile, and Callie couldn't help but blush, even she had to admit that the man was dreamy looking.

"Teddy Altman, Head of Cardio" The dirty blonde haired woman gave Callie a questioning look, before turning to look at the doctor who sat next to her.

"Terri Ryans, Head of Trauma, as you know" She gave a cheeky grin, Callie confused by the woman's actions, she couldn't get a read on Terri and it frustrated her.

"Arizona Robbins, Head of Peds" the voice was small, it caught Callie's attention straight away, she noticed that the other woman was avoiding eye contact and she couldn't figure out why. Arizona was lost in her thoughts and had introduced herself absentmindedly. There was something about the woman who stood at the front, yes she was strikingly beautiful, and her voice was silky smooth, but that wasn't it. She was confused and her emotions were out of control, something that she hadn't felt since _that day_.

"Okay," Owen took command of the room once again, "to my left is Aria Torres, and she's the new Trauma attending, so Doctor Ryans, if you could guide her these next few days, it would be great."

"Pleased to meet you all, and I look forward to working with you Doctor Ryans". Terri nodded at Owen and gave Aria a little wave, which made her laugh.

"Now I'm sure you've all heard the rumours that Doctor Chang handed in his resignation or that he's been fired. Well I can tell you that yes, Doctor Chang no longer works here, but he has not been fired, he has simply retired." Murmurs spread throughout the room, whispers of 'finally' and 'about damned time' erupted.

"People, people! Settle down now. Either way, to my right is the new Head of Orthopaedics, Callie Torres…"

The sound of the chair hitting the floor cut off anything else Owen was about to say, everyone's attention was drawn to Arizona who had stood up so abruptly that her chair fell backwards.

"_It's Callie"_

Arizona stared, eyes widened in shock, as the voice echoed in her head.

"_It's Callie …"_

Pain erupted, and her hands flew to her head.

"_It's Callie, Callie Torres"_

She vaguely registered the sounds of Terri and Teddy shouting her name, before everything started to fade into darkness.

"_Callie Torres"_

She could feel strong hands around her body before she hit the floor, then …

Darkness.

* * *

A.N: So? Like it? Also, other than the obvious Callie/Arizona pairing, what other pairings should there be, if there is any? I mean so far my characters are: Callie, Arizona, Terri (new character!), Timothy, Aria, Lexie, Mark, Teddy, Addison, Derek and eventually Alex too. Obviously if Derek is here then Meredith should appear and for sure Cristina is in this too =]

Would like to hear what you think!


	3. Chapter 3: Calliope

A.N: Thanks for all the follows, much obliged. I'm totally aware that my chapters are pretty short, and I totally apologise! They'll get longer soon, so just bear with me please! Also, a new couple has been decided ... Teddison!

Now onwards to the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 3: Calliope

_She was 15, her brother hadn't come home in 9 days, and the police had no clues, no ideas, nothing. They were useless. He was gone. "No, not Tim!"_

_She was 16 when she met _her_. "Arizona! Hey Arizona!" She turned around towards the voice, when she spotted the other girl a smile spread across her face. "Calliope"_

_It was dark, she was running, there was something chasing her. Run, run, just keep running. A mantra she kept repeating in her head. She was scared, so scared, the fear consumed her entire body. It almost threatened to buckle her knees, but she couldn't stop, she had to keep running. She couldn't let _it_ catch her, whatever _it_ was. She took a quick glance around to see where she was. It was the park, she always came to this park to think, and there was never anyone around this late at night. "Dammit!" It lunged, from out of the shadows, and then she was on the ground. She looked up into its eyes, they were completely black, covering even the white part of the eye; it was like looking up into death. There was pain, all consuming pain, she wanted to scream, but it had her throat. Then, silence._

"_I'm sorry" a voice, where? "I promised…" She couldn't make out the sentences; it was like she was underwater. Everything was fuzzy, and there was pain everywhere. A hand touched her head, it was soft, and the voice spoke again, "I couldn't protect your brother" it was a gentle voice, "but I can at least protect you." Mommy? The voice laughed, it sounded sad, "No, I'm not your mommy". Was that said out loud? What's happening? "You won't remember, but my name…" The hand left her head. No! Come back! Please don't leave! "…is Mnemosyne"_

_Silence. Then a door opening, there's shuffling, it's coming towards her. Her eyes snapped open, there's a girl, no older than 8 or 9 staring at her. She had dark hair and brown eyes._

"_Oh hey, you're awake, how you feeling?" _

"_Where am I?"_

"My house, who are you anyway?"

"_I…I don't know, who are you?"_

"_I'm Terri, Terri Ryans."_

_She was in a bed, it was soft and warm, but she still felt so cold. She felt really stiff. What happened?_

"_I dunno, I found you in the forest behind my house."_

_Had she spoken out loud? What was going on? _

…

_Silence; guess she didn't say that one out loud. She looked at the girl who was staring at her intensely. "What-" The girl breathed in deeply, eyes closed, as if she was sniffing her. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Bright red. "You're one of us." She breathed in again, "No, you're more than that," she tilted her head slightly, portraying her childish innocence that was betrayed only by the blood like eyes. "I can sense it, you're just like me," she grinned, fangs just barely protruding from her mouth, and clapped cheerfully. "You're _royalty."

_She's 18, there are bodies littered around her, her eyes are violet, she's covered in blood, and she's just removed her fangs from another body. All vampires. "Who sent you?" There are only 2 remaining; neither seems to want to answer her. She sends a bolt of lightning towards one and in a flash she's behind the other. Snap. And his neck is broken. Before he can blink, she's in front of the last survivor. "Who. Sent. You?" She has him by the throat, lifting him up. He's scared, terrified even, he's staring down at her, horrified by the sight. She's calm, collected, there's a slight smirk on her blood-smeared face. She's _enjoying _this! "Hades!" It's the last word he gets out before she sinks her teeth into his neck. _

_She's 19, and she's so hungry. She'd been sent out on a 'clean-up' order, to clear up any stray vampires from creating havoc on their territory. It was a simple and easy mission, but she didn't expect so many of them. She miscalculated and now she's tired, hungry, so far away from home, and hiding in an alleyway about two blocks from the strays. Then she hears it, thud-thud-thud; a heartbeat! A _human_ heartbeat. She doesn't want to, but she's so hungry. Thud-thud-thud, it gets louder and closer. She can smell it now, a human, so weak and fragile. She grins to herself, licking her lips, fangs stretched out, eyes bright, but no! She can't, no live feeds! She tells herself that, no killing humans, no feeding from live humans. She pushes away the animalistic urges. No, no, no, no, no! A mantra repeated, she's crouched, leaning against the wall with her head between her knees, hands holding her head. No, no, no, no, no. Thud-thud-thud, but it's oh so close. Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud, it's right there! A scream, and she's no longer hungry. Her eyes dim down to her usual gentle blue, fangs disappear, she can feel the animal inside her satiated, but she is horrified. No, no, no, no, no! _

"_Ari…"_

* * *

"Ari …" There was a voice, but she didn't know where it came from. "Ari…" It was dark, she didn't like it, she wanted to leave, but she didn't know how. She didn't know what was happening; she didn't know where she was. "Ari…" That voice again, follow the voice, that's a good idea right?

"Arizona!"

Her eyes shot open; the first thing that registered was the brightness coming from the lights. It stung her eyes, so she shut them again.

"Come on, slowly does it." The voice encouraged. Slowly, she re-opened her eyes. The lights didn't hurt as much anymore this time around. Her head on the other hand, it felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to it. Simply put: it hurt like hell.

"Wha…" It was barely a croak. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What the hell happened to me?"

"That's what we'd like to know, you passed out in the conference room, scared the hell out of the newbies." That voice again, she knew that voice, but everything was so bright, there was nothing but brightness.

Her throat was so dry; "You got any water around here?" Almost immediately, a cup was placed into her hands, she drank it down swiftly, and god, did it feel good.

"You alright Ari?" Terri. It was Terri, that's who the voice belonged to, slowly the world seemed to focus more, the brightness clearing away until she could finally make out several figures in her room. Standing on her left was Teddy, looking around; she spotted Alex and Lexie standing at the end of her bed. She finally settled her sights on Terri, who was sitting on her bed to her right.

"I passed out?"

"Damn right you did, have you fed yet? Jesus Arizona, what the hell were you thinking, you had a long shift last night, you should've fed before you came." The outburst came from Teddy, and it surprised her, the usually stoic and calm doctor was frazzled and panicking.

"I did Teds, I fed just before I got here. I don't know what happened, I mean one minute I'm in the conference room, the next there's this blinding pain in my head and then, darkness."

Teddy seemed to calm down slightly after hearing this, but she still didn't seem happy that her best friend had suddenly fainted.

"What was with that outburst then?"

"What outburst?"

"Oh you know, the one before you dropped. You stood up suddenly. And rather loudly too if I may add" Teddy watched as Arizona processed the information, even Alex and Lexie, who had both remained silent, seemed interested.

"I … I don't know. I don't remember. What happened after anyway?" Arizona genuinely had no idea. She couldn't remember anything other than a voice echoing in her head. She couldn't even remember what the voice was saying.

"Well, after you shot up from your seat, you dropped almost as quick, thanks to Terri's fast reflexes, she caught you before you hit the ground. Saved you from a pretty nasty bruise, you were pretty much aiming for the chair you'd dropped." Teddy explained, nonchalantly. She seemed to be much calmer now, seeing as Arizona seemed fine, minus the memory lapse.

"Does it have anything to do with this morning?" Terri finally spoke up after having remained silent after Arizona had woken up.

"What happened this morning" Lexie was really interested now. Ever since she'd found out their secret, she'd tried to learn as much as possible about them to try to be as helpful as possible.

"She had a nightmare. Although she says it might've been a memory."

"A memory?"

"Yeah, said something about the past or something."

"Past? As in past life or pre-vampire life?"

"She doesn't know, doesn't remember. She doesn't have a clue."

"It doesn't matter now, I'm fine. And stop talking about me, I'm right here you know?" Arizona cut in, she'd had enough of them talking over her, about her.

"Well, I don't care, I'm getting you some blood" Alex gruffly stated before storming out of the room.

It was then that she noticed that her room was different to regular hospital rooms. It was darker, the walls were grey, rather than the pristine white, and the doors were solid metal.

"Where am I anyway?"

The three remaining doctors looked at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"What do you mean 'where am I'? You're in the basement, where we always go if any of _your kind_ has an episode, like this. You know, away from the preying eyes up above?"

"God Teddy, you're so dramatic. And what's with the 'your kind' comment? You make us sound like monsters."

"Weeeelll … Technically-"

"Shut up Terri, you know what I mean" Her headache was fading away, but not quickly enough for her liking, she really hoped Alex returned soon. She was getting hungry, the pack from earlier did nothing for her hunger, considering her long shift and then the emergency surgery from this morning.

Alex barged through the door, as if Arizona had just summoned him, and shoved the pack in her face. "Here, bottoms up, it's fresh as well."

"Um …What?" They all eyed him. "You didn't kill anyone did you? Because you know that's totally against the policy and T's rules. Not to mention really not cool, this is a hospital, there are sick people here. Is this from a patient?" Arizona stated with mock fear.

"What? No! There was a donation truck outside today, fresh batch just bought in from the truck. Thought you'd appreciate it. Drink up whilst it's still hot!" Alex crossed his arms and pouted in the corner, whilst everyone just sniggered at him.

"Thanks Alex" _Fresh blood, always works better than the cold, stored stuff. _She looked towards Alex. _He's a good man, a good friend._ She drank hungrily from the pack, fangs extended to their limits, eyes turning a vibrant violet, almost moaning from the taste.

"Yeah whatever" came the gruff reply.

The sound of pagers going off rang through the room and they all scrambled for their pagers.

"Me and you again Robbins." Terri held up her pager, "911 in the pit, yup not gonna happen. Karev, let's go"

"What? No, I'm fine. Just let me finish and I'll go." Arizona hurried to finish, almost choking.

"Yeah, how's that working for you? Look, you trained Karev personally, so you know he's good. Besides, I'll be there. So just take it easy alright?"

"T, really, I'm okay" Arizona insisted. She hated being seen as a weakling, a burden.

"Really, no. You passed out barely 2 hours ago."

"But-"

"And even _if_ I were to let you go, you're covered in blood Ari, you'll scare the patients." Terri cut off Arizona and before she even had a chance to retort, pulled Alex out of the room with her.

* * *

"You paged, Dr Torres?"

Callie looked up from the nurses' desk in the E.R, where she was filling in a chart from her last patient, to see Terri and an unknown male with a buzz cut and light blue scrubs.

"Uh, yeah, bed 3, 9 year old, car-crash, I paged Trauma and … Peds?" She looked at Alex, "Where's Dr Robbins?"

"Oh you know, she's still resting. This is Dr Karev," Alex nodded towards Callie, "Peds fellow, and Arizona's prized student. He's been with her for the last 3 years, so he's _almost_ as good as she is. Almost being the key word here, no one's as good as Ari, but she's taught him everything he knows, so if you can't have the best at SGMW, you get … him." She grinned at Alex, who just grunted back at her.

"Is she going to be okay? I mean, it was pretty sudden and all. She's been checked out right?" Callie was concerned, Arizona looked fine when Terri and her had fell through the door, but then halfway through her introduction she sudden stood up and promptly passed out.

"Oh yeah, long shift ya know? She'd just finished an 18-hour shift last night, was home for barely 4 hours. I dunno if she'd gotten any sleep, but she seemed pretty restless on the couch when I saw her, but then we'd gotten paged in for surgery this morning. She's alright, she was just …" She shared a look with Alex, and a grin crossed her face, "…_hungry._" Alex snorted, before heading off to the patient. "Don't mind him, he's always like that" Terri laughed before trailing after Alex towards bed 3, leaving Callie thoroughly confused.

* * *

Hours later, Callie was in the changing rooms changing out of her scrubs, having finished her shift for the day. She was halfway through pulling her top down when the door opened and Arizona entered. She paused immediately and averted her eyes.

"Uh, God, sorry."

"It's alright, it's a changing room, it happens." Callie, endeared by Arizona's flustered state, smiled. She remembered the events of the morning and her smile was replaced with a look of concern. "Dr Robbins? Are you okay? I saw Dr Ryans and Dr Karev earlier on and they said you were still resting."

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, a little sleep was all I needed." Arizona's eyes darted all over the place, keeping it above the head of the half-naked woman in front of her. She started to fidget, feeling a blush slowly spreading from her cheeks. Callie noticed and quickly finished pulling her top down.

"Yeah, and food, apparently. You can look now" Her voice was clearly amused.

"Food…what?"

"Yeah, when I saw them earlier, they said you'd had a long day and was just hungry, so that's why you passed out."

"Oh … Oh! Yeah, hungry, that's all I was. Yup, yeah, didn't really get the chance to eat between getting home and getting paged here again. You know how it is, us surgeons are always busy, always saving lives, and never having time to eat or drink or sleep or anything." She was rambling and she knew it, but she couldn't stop. She had no idea why, but the woman in front of her made her brain go _pfft! _And practically stop working.

Callie smiled again, she couldn't believe how adorable this woman was, or rather still was. It wasn't much different from the teen she'd met twenty years ago. Her smile fell slightly when she remembered that Arizona didn't remember her.

"So, I don't know if we got introduced properly this morning, I mean I know who you are, but you probably don't know who I am right? I'm the new Head of Ortho C-"

"Calliope." They both froze and stared at each other.

"What?" Callie was shocked. _Does she remember me? Did she lie about that?_

"I-I don't know. It was just there, in my head. When I looked at you, at your eyes… I was listening to you and it suddenly came up. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." She had no idea what was happening. One minute she's rambling about eating and drinking, the next she's calling the woman by the name of one of the muses. She just _had _to pick the one that meant 'beautiful-voiced' as well, could she look _more_ like an idiot? Just as she was mentally face palming herself, the 'beautiful-voiced' surgeon's voice broke through her mental beration.

"No, I mean it's okay, it _is_ my name. Just, no one calls me by that except my parents and –"

"I'm sorry-"

"-You." Arizona snapped her eyes towards Callie, who seemed to be avoiding her eyes this time around. "You used to call me that, back in high school. I mean, it was 20 years ago, and you probably don't remember, and I know it's a stupid name, which is why I usually go by 'Callie', but you used to tell me that it suited me, so you refused to call my anything but that." It was Callie's turn to ramble, it was all just so awkward, but she never thought she'd ever see her again. She was convinced that Arizona was dead, what other reason could there be, considering her and her parents all practically disappeared in one night.

"Calliope," she looked up to see Arizona smiling at her, dimples appearing, "I like it! If you don't mind that is"

"No, it's fine"

"Great, but only if you call me Arizona, none of that Dr Robbins stuff, way too formal and just blergh!"

Callie laughed out loud; this woman was just too adorable. Arizona giggled in return, and when the laughter died out, the two women just stood there smiling at each other.

* * *

A.N Here ya go, longer right? It's annoying, I have future parts planned out, but I gotta get the timeline right. Also, I suck at describing everything that's going on, I have the dialogue all planned out, but gotta get it into order and writing condition so everyone can see how I've got it out in my head. I'm working on that so I hope you enjoy it all!


	4. Chapter 4: Death and Rebirth 1: Lexie

A.N Hello all! Thanks again for all the follows, makes me happy to see people interested! Also, the chapters are getting longer, yay! I've noticed some errors when uploading onto the site, which I don't realise until I've already posted, so apologies for that. The format and text is all fine on my word document, but apparently the site doesn't like it, so hopefully I'll get better at noticing it before posting. Thanks again!

This chapter is told from Lexie's point of view, just to get the background sorted. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 4: Death and Rebirth 1: Lexie

Lexie p.o.v

It was three years ago, and I had just started my internship at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Two weeks into my first year, and _they_ appeared. The two new surgeons were both perky and playful; it was nice to see and definitely helped with my first year jitters. They approached me on their first day, and I'd panicked, I had no idea why they were coming to me. I hadn't done anything wrong, _yet_, but still, it's nerve wracking when attendings approach interns; usually it's to scold them or to use them as errand boys, I silently wondered which treatment I'd get.

"Good afternoon! Great day today isn't it?" The dark haired one spoke first, they both had cheerful smiles plastered across their faces, and it was oddly calming. I mean, don't get me wrong, I was still nervous as hell, but with an opening like that, who wouldn't feel relaxed?

"Go-Good after ma'am." They shared a look between the two of them, heads tilted, holding a silent conversation, which lasted mere seconds before they turned to me. The dark haired one crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, whilst the blonde one put her hands into the pockets of her lab coat and rocked back and forth on her heels, all the while smirking at me.

"Ma'am? Really? God you make me sound so old, I'm probably the same age as you, ya know Doctor…?"

"Grey!" I practically screamed that in their faces. Did I mention I was nervous? "uh- I mean, Grey, ma'am. My name is Alexandra Grey, but you can call me Lexie."

"Right Doctor Grey, Lexie Grey. How old are you anyway?" The blonde had yet to speak, but I could see she was holding in her laugh at my outburst.

"26 ma'am. I'm a first year intern."

"See? I told you, I'm 25. I'm actually younger than you." The dark haired one grinned smugly at me.

What the hell? She's young, too young to be an intern let alone an attending. She's got to be joking right?

"Uh, sorry?"

"T, we're being rude, let me introduce myself. I'm Arizona Robbins, the new Head of Peds." The blonde finally spoke out, and stretched out her right hand for me to shake. "And I am most definitely older than you" She grinned at me before letting go of my hand and turning to her partner.

"Man, why you gotta spoil my fun?" She held her hand out, "Terri Ryans, taking over for Dr Hunt as Head of Trauma. And yes, I _am_ 25. I technically qualify as a genius, so I got through med school pretty quickly." She grinned smugly.

"You'll have to forgive Terri here, Dr Grey, she's a bit egotistical, and likes to boast about her … _talent_." They shared a smile at that; it was like they were communicating through a language that was only shared between the two of them. I was slightly jealous at their relationship, I'd never had anyone I was that close to. Hell, I didn't have any real friends now.

"Anyway, I heard you were working under Dr Alex Karev, I was told that he was the one to look out for in Peds, any idea where he might be now?" Arizona looked directly into my eyes, I couldn't help myself, but I felt like I was drowning in the pools of never-ending blue.

"I'm sorry Dr Robbins, he was in the ER the last time I checked." Her eyes, they were so clear, but then, she breathed in deeply and I swear I saw something flicker and change in her eyes. Before I could say anything though, she blinked, rapidly and was pulled away by Terri.

"Oops, look at the time, sorry there Dr Grey, we gotta run. Got patients to see, see ya later." Terri rushed out quickly before grabbing Arizona, and practically running, headed towards the stairs.

* * *

The next time I saw them Arizona was rushing towards Terri's office, but something was off. She look pale, really pale, and the speed she was walking at, she may well have been gliding across the floor. She slammed the door shut and within five minutes, was walking back out of Terri's office with more color in her face and a lot calmer. It was odd, but I just ignored it, it really wasn't any of my business really.

More and more weird things started happening around them. For instance, we had a patient who came into the ER; he was drugged up on PCP, and started going crazy. Nurses were pushed away, bedpans were thrown around, even security couldn't get a hold of him; he was just so strong and livid. He was coming straight at me, and out of nowhere, Terri appeared, and in the blink of an eye, had the patient facing down on the floor, right arm twisted behind his back, with her knee placed in the centre of his back, completely subduing him. It was amazing, five men couldn't subdue him, yet she had him taken down within seconds with complete ease, I couldn't even see it all, it happened far too quickly.

"Dr Grey, sedate him quickly!" I jumped into action immediately. When I grabbed the injection and headed towards her, she looked up and I froze momentarily. Her eyes, it was barely noticeable, but they were dark, darker than her usual brown. "Dr Grey!" I snapped out of my brief moment of lapse, and injected the patient. With the help of the nurses and orderlies, we got the patient back into the bed. The sudden appearance of the EMTs with a new patient took Terri away, leaving me standing with the barely conscious patient, staring in wonder.

* * *

Another instance was when I was on my lunch break. I had taken a few charts with me to look over whilst I had my lunch, and seeing the elevator packed, decided to take the stairs. I was so focused on the open chart I had in my arms, that I'd accidentally missed the first step, the files flew out of my arms, I closed my eyes and I braced myself for impact. When suddenly, strong arms came around my waist and pulled me back towards a soft body.

"Are you okay?" The voice was so gentle and soothing. My eyes opened and I turned around to see Arizona.

What? Where had she come from? This was the Cardio floor, and she had no patients here, and she was just in the packed elevator I'd seen before.

"Dr Robbins!" She smiled softly at me. I realised that I was still in her deceptively strong arms and hurried to untangle myself from her. She moved away slightly looking over me thoroughly, before heading down the stairs to pick up my fallen files.

"You should really be more careful around the stairs you know? Where are you headed to anyway?" She handed the files back to me and stared at me expectantly.

"Thanks" I muttered shyly, "It's my lunch break and I was headed down to grab a sandwich."

"Great, well I'm sort of headed in that direction too, let's walk together!" She grinned at me, with dimples, and I blushed. In the back of my head, I could hear questions forming, so as we were walking I took a chance.

"Dr Robbins? Not that I'm not grateful that you saved me and everything, but weren't you just in the elevator? I mean I was just there and it was packed, but I swear I saw you in there and all of a sudden you're here." I started rambling, regardless of my curiosity, she was still my superior, and could probably make my life hell.

"Yup, I was there, but it was getting too packed for my liking, too many people rubbing up against each other, not my kind of scene. So I thought, I'm young and healthy, and some exercise won't kill me, so I squeezed my way out and took the stairs instead."

We'd reached the ground floor by this point, where the canteen was, but as I headed to the door I noticed that Arizona wasn't following me. She was going to continue downwards.

"Dr Robbins? Are you not going to get lunch?"

"Oh totally, but I've got something to do first."

"Down in the basement?" I knew I sounded accusatory, but it was really weird.

"Yup, down in the basement, bye now!" She bounded down the stairs quickly, and I had no grounds to follow her, so I just headed towards the canteen with a lot more questions forming.

* * *

I started noticing a lot more things from then on, and briefly wondered if I was the only one. There were many times when Terri and Arizona would be caught whispering and then rushing off in an unknown direction together, or there would be times when one of them would come out from surgery and head straight for the on-call room, and not long after, the other would head into the same one. I'd originally thought they were going to hook up or something in the on-call room, considering they're always together, but then there were the moments where one of them would suddenly look oddly pale and would rush off to the other one's office, and then return looking a lot better. Of course I can't forget the times where Terri encounters an aggressive patient and would take them down in a display of surprising speed and strength, or when Arizona would encounter a pushy parent and completely sway them with her charm, all the while remaining cool, calm, collected, and commanding. I swear Arizona could talk someone down from the ledge of a building with ease, but there was something else I'd also noticed, it was their eyes, every time they'd had an encounter, I swear I could see something change in their eyes, it was always brief and quick, that I wondered if I was seeing things, but after so many times, I was convinced that I wasn't.

Finally, I couldn't take it any more, and I followed them into the basement one night, I wanted answers, and the curiosity was killing me. In retrospect, I realised that it probably wasn't the smartest idea considering it was in the middle of the night shift, and I was following two 'suspicious' people down into the basement, with no backup or anything. It was like every other horror book I'd read, and I would probably find out that they're secretly serial killers and I'd get killed or something. Or perhaps I'd been reading far too many fictions lately.

Creeping along the corridor, I realised that I had actually never been into the basement before. We'd always been told that the morgue and storage rooms were in the basement, but whilst I was following the two surgeons, I realised that the basement was more complex than that. It was longer than expected, and had more doors and turns then you'd normally see. When I finally caught up with them, I saw that they had reached a metal door with an electronic lock, one that required a key card and code to get into. I watched as Terri swiped her ID card through the slot and type in a code that I couldn't see, when the door opened, I could hear the sound of a seal being released. I realised that the room was a cold storage room. Strange, why would the hospital have one in the basement, one that no one else seemed to know about? I edged along the walls until I was directly outside the door, I peered in and before I knew it, I had been pulled in and slammed against the now closed door. I looked up to see Terri holding me by my throat, and had lifted me off the floor. Arizona's head popped up over her shoulder and they both glared at me.

"Why are you following us?" The voice was low and dangerous; I looked into her eyes, and shrunk at the ferocity.

I looked around the room and saw that in each of the fridges were blood packs. It finally clicked, "You're Vampires aren't you?" I managed to choke out, and the grip around my throat tightened slightly. They both narrowed their eyes at me.

"It makes sense, I've noticed things; you both seem to have incredible speed and strength. You have this mysterious aura that surrounds you all the time, not to mention your eyes, and obviously the blood in here too."

"What do _you_ know about Vampires?" Terri practically snarled in my face, to be honest; I have no idea how I'd even managed to say anything at all, I was terrified.

"I-I didn't think they actually existed, but apparently I was wrong, the signs all point to that."

Terri growled at me before her eyes turned blood red and she revealed her fangs, "You know I'm going to have to kill you now right?" I looked over at Arizona to see her eye glowing violet, a deranged smile on her face with her fangs out. Oh god, oh god, oh god! I'm going to die! The color drained from my face, I closed my eyes and began to pray to every deity I knew of, I could feel tears streaming down my face.

The pressure suddenly disappeared from my neck and my feet touched the ground again. I opened eyes to see that Terri's eyes had returned to their normal brown, looking at me, face full of concern.

"Hey, calm down, I'm kidding … Well, sort of" She sighed, "Look, we've been watching you alright, and we've noticed that you're very, well, observant and pretty clever," she smiled at this, "we didn't expect _this_ to happen, but you're pretty brave to come here by yourself you know?"

"Yo-You've been watching me?" I stuttered; the tears just wouldn't stop. Then it hit me, "all those times when the two of you appear out of nowhere when I'm in danger?"

Terri grinned at Arizona, "I told ya she was a clever girl" Arizona just rolled her eyes and the both turned back to me. "Ari here noticed the first day we met you, she said you smelled rather … Well, for the lack of better term, _delicious_." I blushed. "So we kept an eye on you, at first it was just to stop Ari here from pouncing on you and eating you right up." Terri grinned salaciously at me, and I could feel the tips of my ears burning. I really wish she wouldn't use words like that.

"And then, we'd just noticed that you were watching us a lot, so we wanted to know why. We thought you'd been sent by …" She trailed off, deep in thought, before shaking her head "never mind that. Anyway, we wanted to know how far you'd get, thought you could become useful to us really. I mean you know, like recon. No one would expect a _human_ working for us, we were going to come to you later, but guess that plan went out the window huh?"

"Wait, you mean there are more? Vampires? How many? Are they in the hospital? Who are they?" The questions just flew out, my interest and curiosity completely overwhelming my fear of the situation. They both laughed out loud, and I quickly reeled myself in before smiling bashfully.

"Hold up there sparky. We can't tell you any of that, not right now anyway. So you interested? In working for Vampires like us? You know it's like Catch 22 right? You work for us, and only us, you listen to only us, you don't ask questions about others like us, you can't tell anyone else about us, and most importantly you _belong_ to us." She paused to let it all sink in for me, "It's that or we kill you really. Can't let the secret out."

I thought about it for a while, did I really want to submit myself to what the world refers to as monsters? Honestly? It sounded interesting, but dangerous at the same time. I really hated my curiosity at times.

"Would I be in danger?"

"Hm, not really, well, depends on the situation really, but we'll be there for you. If you belong to us, then we take care of you, like property." I winced at the term, "We really don't want to force you into this, but you found out sooner than we wanted to."

"How would you have asked me then? I mean would you have told me about you and then asked for my permission? If I knew, and said no, you would've had to kill me. That not really a choice is it?"

"Boy, you really are too clever. But no, we wouldn't have told you, I didn't really have it planned out or anything, but I'd probably go along the lines of being a secret operative or something."

I couldn't help but laugh, it was ridiculous really. "Secret operative? _Really_?"

"Terri really likes the whole mysteriousness of it, I think, perhaps in another life, she wanted to be a secret agent." Arizona teased, ignoring Terri's indignant huff of 'hey'.

"But in all seriousness Lexie, if you don't want this, we don't have to kill you, we can just wipe your memory. Terri likes the threat, makes her feel more like a secret agent, you know? The whole 'if I tell you I'd have to kill you' business."

It was the first time either one of them had referred to me by my first name, and it made me feel closer to them already. I took in the situation properly, looking around the room, from the blood packs, to Arizona, to Terri's pouting frame in front of me. I took a deep breath and declared my answer. "Yes."

They both let out sighs of relief, "awesome".

"Right!" Terri took command of the room again, "first order of business, you need to be marked Lex." I blanched at that.

"Marked?

"Yeah, it's for protection. It helps us know if you're in trouble, or if you ever need to contact us, you use the mark."

"Will it hurt?"

Terri scratched the back her head, "Um, maybe? Probably? I don't know, I've never marked a human before, Ari?"

"I haven't marked anyone…"

"That's totally a lie!"

Arizona rolled her eyes before continuing, "I haven't marked anyone female before, T. And besides I've only marked one other person, you go ask him if it hurt."

That perked my curiosity; Arizona's marked someone? It was a guy too, I wonder if it's her boyfriend? No, that's not right, she's gay; I wonder if he works in the hospital? I hadn't realised that whilst I was having my internal conversation that they were still waiting for my reply.

"Oh, um, sure, if it would help then yes. Who's going to mark me?"

"Oh that would be me! Can't have Arizona taking all the pretty girls, don't know what she would do to such a _delicious_ smelling girl as yourself." I blushed again. I shyly glanced towards Arizona who also had a light dusting of pink across her pale cheeks.

"Oh you're one to talk, do I need to remind you of _Clio _and _Thalia?_"

"Oh pish posh, you're just jealous Ari, besides, you know that my dad gave me them, _and_ they're my guardians. Well, at least there were when I was younger. Regardless, it's nothing like what your fantasies tell ya."

It amused me how close the two of them were, it was endearing and sweet, and I wanted to be a part of that family. "Anyway, let's get this show on the road, you ready Lex?" I nodded, and Terri walked up to me, her eyes turned bright red and the aura around the room turned suffocating. She raised her index finger and placed it right above my heart. I could feel a burning sensation blooming from my chest, it didn't hurt, but it didn't feel comfortable either. I saw my reflection in the door next to me and noticed that my eyes were red, and that there was a red glow emanating from my chest. Then, the feeling disappeared, and Arizona had approached me holding up a compact mirror. I held it up and lowered my scrub top slightly to see a small mark in the shape of an owl glowing red, before fading away to a black.

"That's the mark of Athena, Athena being me that is." Explained Terri, "Arizona over there is Artemis, and we're both _Vampire Royalty_. Welcome to the family Alexandra Grey."

* * *

It had been a few months since being marked, and nothing had really happened. I'd noticed that if Terri was calling me, the mark would resonate and I'd feel a tugging sensation that wouldn't disappear until I'd found my 'master'. Contrary to the way she had made it sound, Terri had not once treated me like property; instead she had treated me like family. I had been included in all types of events, even small ones such as eating lunch together, or just going for a drink. I had found out that the person Arizona had marked was one of my residents, Alex Karev. It was weird seeing them together, Alex had always been very indifferent and uncaring to everyone else, but with Arizona, he was different. He genuinely cared about her, and even though he was hostile to me at first, I found out that he was actually a really good guy.

A few days later, there was an incident.

The four of us were taking a walk, after going out for a few drinks. One minute we were walking through the park, the next, we were surrounded by a group of men. There were ten of them at least; all vampires, and Arizona and Terri had leapt into action straight away. One of them came straight for me, Alex stepped in front of me to protect me, but he was no match for the vampire, and was thrown away, as if he weighed nothing. Then, all I could feel was pain. "Lexie!" someone shouted my name; I looked down and saw that he had pierced his hand right through me. Blood was dripping down my torso and the pain spread throughout my entire body. Terri was there in an instance, anger emanating from her body, eyes shining vibrantly, fangs bared. He was disposed of in a second and I dropped to the ground.

"No, no, no! Lexie!" I was lifted into her arms. She felt so warm, "oh god, no. Lexie, stay with me Lexie!" She sounded so scared, so angry, I'd never seen her like this, she was always so calm, and at times goofy. I knew I was dying, but to have someone care so much for me in my last moments made me feel so warm.

"Do something Terri!" I could hear Alex shouting at her. Arizona appeared, and I noticed it was quite once again; she must have finished the rest of the vampires.

"I'm sorry Lexie, I'm _so_ sorry," Terri sounded so sad, I wanted to say something, anything. But the moment I opened my mouth, blood came spewing out. I felt a sharp pain in my neck, and then, darkness.

When I woke up, I was in a dark room. It was cold, and I felt so thirsty. I noticed a cup on the side of the bed and I drank it without really noticing what was in the cup. I felt instantly invigorated. The door opened and Terri entered the room, she looked happy to see me awake, but there was a hint of guilt under her smile.

"You're awake! How do you feel?" I saw her look towards the cup on the bedside stand and her smile fell slightly. "I'm so sorry Lexie." She sighed.

I didn't know why she was apologising until I caught my reflection in the mirror on the wall. There was blood on my lips and the corner of my mouth, but what hit me were my eyes. They were red! They were similar to Terri's, but nowhere near as bright.

"I couldn't let you die."

I opened my mouth to reply, and that's when I saw it. Fangs!

I was a _Vampire_.

* * *

A.N: Right, so I'd originally planned for Alex, Teddy and Lexie's story to be in one chapter, but it ended up being a lot longer than expected, so I split them up into 3 separate ones. I hope it all made sense!


	5. Chapter 5: Death and Rebirth 2: Alex

A.N: And so we being Alex's journey into their world. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5: Death and Rebirth 2: Alex

Alex p.o.v

Three years ago, Dr Kenley, the Head of Peds, died. I'd had a few cases with him and found that I liked the cases, and I was great at them. I'd been milling around the ER when the Chief came in with two people behind him. They were both dressed in navy scrubs and had pristine white lab coats on.

"And this is the ER, which is where you'll be spending most of your time Dr Ryans. As a Trauma surgeon myself, I take pride in the state of the art machines that we possess here in the pit." I scoffed at the way Hunt's declaration, boy he was really sucking up, what's so great about them anyway. Dr Ryans, the dark haired one, smiled and nodded, before taking in the ER.

I tried to sneak out of the doors to avoid anymore of suck-up-Chief, but I was caught at last minute.

"Ah, Dr Karev, just who I was looking for. Come here for a second would you?" I rolled my eyes, damn! I was so close.

"Yeah?" He narrowed his eyes at me before plastering on his smile again.

"Dr Robbins here is the new Head of Peds," he pointed to the blonde woman, "Dr Robbins, this is Dr Karev. I do believe you'll be working together a lot. From what I've been told, he is the one to look out for in Peds, so I hope you don't mind taking him under your wing Dr Robbins." The blonde smiled at me, I looked her up and down. Yeah, she was kinda hot, she had nice boobs at least, could be worse. There was a cough and I looked up to see Robbins with an eyebrow raised and Ryans stifling a laugh. The cough came from Hunt, who had narrowed his eyes at me, clearly unamused. Whatever, I don't care.

"Well, Dr Karev, I look forward to working together with you." I grunted out a response and left before they could catch me again.

* * *

A few hours later, I was paged into the ER, there'd been a drive by shooting at a local school and a lot of kids had been shot.

"What have we got?"

"Karev, 12-year old, two GSWs to the torso, let's go, scrub in. Let's see how you work." Her face was hidden behind her scrub mask, but I could practically hear the grin in her voice.

We were two hours into the surgery, and I could tell she was good. She was meticulous, thorough, and she had ridiculously fast responses and reflexes. The patient had crashed a few times, but she was always calm and collected, she had complete control of the OR and she'd even managed to go through everything that she was doing whilst doing it. Talk about extreme multitasking. I had learned so much in just two hours with her, than I had in a long time, and when we closed up I saw that her final stitches were just as expected: precise and quick.

We received patient after patient, and her calm demeanour never once faltered. Each cut was done with precision, each step was taken with purpose, and she'd never once failed to catch a bleeder or to bring the patient back. She was like a Goddess.

When we were scrubbing out of our final surgery, I looked at her hands. These were the hands of a great surgeon, an amazing surgeon, and I wanted her to teach me with those hands.

"Great work there Karev, looks like we're going to have a great partnership." She brought me out of my thoughts, she was smiling at me, and when she turned to walk out, I stopped her.

"Teach me." I demanded. She turned back to me and raised an eyebrow. "Uh- teach me, _please_." She had remained silent. "You have great hands, I want those hands to teach me. You're meticulous, fast, and calm. You're like the perfect surgeon. I want to be like that. Teach me!"

She smiled and stepped forward, placing a hand on my arm. "That's what I'm here for Karev. If you're willing to learn, I'm more than willing to teach. Though these hands here" she raised both her hands up, "are one of a kind. I don't know if you'll ever be as good as me Karev." She grinned cockily at me, and swiftly left the room.

I stood there, dazed, before I smirked. Robbins was interesting, that's for sure. Hot, interesting and a Goddess in the OR, way better than the old dude before her. When I'd heard that he had croaked, I was disappointed, because that meant no more Peds cases for me, but now, after meeting Robbins, I was secretly glad he did die. His death may have been the best thing that's happened to Peds in a long time.

* * *

"Dr Karev? The lab said that they need more blood from the patient in room 4 for tests," I looked up to see an intern standing there, nervously shifting from foot to foot.

"And?" I hated interns; they were so useless and needy. If they were so scared, then they should've never left medical school. God I was never like this as an intern, why do I always get stuck with the pansy ones?

"I-I-uh…"

"What does that mean?" I was getting impatient.

"I-uh-I need to take some blood?"

Seriously? He actually _asked_ that?

"Well done, give the boy a medal," I deadpanned, even throwing in a slow clap or two. He turned bright red before shuffling off to get the blood.

"You know, you should be nicer to your interns. They're the future of medicine … Or something." I turned around ready to take out whoever was behind me when I noticed it was Ryans. She stood leaning against the nurses' desk, arms crossed, smirking at me. She was tall and slim and pretty hot too, I'm a guy, so I notice these kinds of things, can't blame a guy. I hadn't worked with her yet, but from what I hear, she's a Goddess in Trauma, great just what we need, another cocky surgeon with an ego bigger than the sun. I scoffed internally at that.

"What do you want? Aren't you a bit far from the pit?"

"_Yikes_, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I'm looking for your adorably perky department head. Have you seen her bouncing around here? Or wheeling even, I'm not fussy, either one works."

What. The. Hell?

Seeing that I was less than forthcoming with information she grinned and added, "She owes me something and I'm here to collect."

"T! You're early." Robbins came down the corridor … _wheeling?_ Was she wheeling? What the hell?

"Ah there she is, you owe me something"

"I thought we'd agreed 1pm in your office?" She tilted her head at Ryans, it was kind of adorable, but I was never going to admit that.

"Yes my darling little airhead, it's half past now."

"Oh crap, sorry, lost track of time. Come to my office, I'll sort you out. Karev, scrub in for the Appy at 3." With that they both walked off, secret smiles and tender gestures. Were they banging? Now _that_ was hot. Whatever, it's not my business; even if it were hot, she'd probably kill me if I asked.

* * *

A few weeks later, we were in the OR, and she'd let me take the lead in this surgery. She was assisting, obviously, but I was in charge today. We had a 6 year old on the table, and she'd been hit by a car. There was a lot of blood, but I was used to it already, I knew Robbins had my back, and I felt invincible.

"V-Fib"

"Prepare the paddles"

"Clear!"

"No change"

"Charge again. Clear!"

…

I'd lost the patient.

We went to tell the parents, and the father was hysterical. He punched me and had me pinned against the wall.

"What the hell happened? Were you the doctor operating on her? Are you even qualified to operate? You killed her! _You _killed her! Give me back my daughter!"

He was right, I'd killed her, I shouldn't have taken lead. Robbins was the Goddess not me. I'm just trash, I'd killed her.

"Mr Miller, calm down." Robbins' voice cut through the tension, his grip tightened on my scrubs, and she'd laid a hand on his shoulder, "look at me Mr Miller." Her voice was so mesmerising, and it was calming even me. We both looked at her, and I swear her, there was something swirling in her eyes. She'd blinked when he let go and it disappeared.

"Yes Dr Karev was the lead in the case, but I was there all the way. I could've and would've stepped in at any moment if it looked like Dr Karev couldn't handle it. There was just too much bleeding, and too much damage. Even I wouldn't have been able to save her. I'm sorry for your loss Mr Miller, but we did everything that we could have." He broke down in her arms; she looked over his shoulder and signalled for me to leave.

She came to find me in the changing rooms where I was mulling over the loss. I ran over the surgery over and over again in my head to see where I went wrong.

"There was nothing you could've done Karev." Her voice was low and gentle, but I was too overwhelmed by guilt to humour her.

"You could've-"

"No I couldn't." Her voice was strong, and adamant. I looked up at her and she sat down next to me. "I wasn't just placating the father back there. I was serious when I said that not even I could've saved her. You were meticulous, and you did everything right, there was just too much damaged to be salvaged." She patted my thigh and smiled at me, "You did good work in there Karev, I'm proud of you."

I took pride in the fact that _she _was proud of _me_, but still, it hurt, losing patients always hurt, but when it's a kid. There are just no words to describe that feeling.

"How do you deal with it?" She tilted her head in confusion, "Losing the kids, how do you deal with it?"

"You just have to." She stood up to leave. Just as she reached the door she added, "The ones that you do save almost make up for the ones you don't."

* * *

Ever since losing the patient, I spent more time studying different procedures and past cases; I really wanted to impress Robbins. She'd had my back and defended me that day, and no one's ever done that for me. Ever since I went into medicine, everyone's always been out for themselves; every man for himself, and they never once offered to help me. Maybe it was because they knew I didn't have a rich daddy to back me up, or any money at all really. I would always hear whispers behind my back, 'trailer trash', was what they called me. It wasn't until I got an internship at SGMW that things started to change. I mean, Meredith and Cristina didn't treat me like I was any different to them, I was an intern just like them and that was it, they never made my life difficult, but it's not like they went out of their way to help me either, and I liked it that way. I couldn't really compare to them anyway, I mean Meredith Grey was the daughter of the renowned Ellis Grey, the inventor of the laprascopic Grey method, and Cristina Yang was the rich girl from California, with amazing talent in Cardio. I was a nobody compared to them, but it didn't mean I didn't work twice as hard to get noticed.

Robbins changed the game though, she came from nowhere and took me in, no questions asked and she pushed me twice as hard as anyone ever has to get results. She stuck her neck out for me and made it a priority to teach me, rather than just showing off her skills in the OR to me. Every surgery, from start to finish, she'd take me through it all, talk out loud, and ask if I had any questions. She was always happy and perky, the epitome of everything I hated, but would then transform into this hardcore, badass, focused surgeon in the OR. I idolised her and didn't want to disappoint her. So this led me to sitting exactly where I am now, in the canteen surrounded by old case files.

"Ooooh, whatcha got there, Karev?" A voice came from behind me; it was Ryans, who then plopped down in the seat next to me, placing her tray on the table. I held a lot more respect for her now, we'd worked together in the OR, and I'd experienced first hand what she was capable of. The rumours were right, which was surprising considering this is SGMW, and rumour mills are always exaggerated to an extent, but they were right about Ryans, she was a Trauma God. In the presence of a Trauma God and a Peds God, I felt infinitesimal; they were amazing and worked together flawlessly. When we were in the OR, Ryans must have caught on to what Robbins was doing, because she started explaining her every movement and taking the time to show me everything she saw. I still didn't like her all that much, but I had respect for her.

"Karev's looking through old surgical case files, to brush up on his knowledge I'm assuming" I hadn't noticed that Robbins had joined us at the table.

"And to impress you too right?" Ryans grinned impishly and I blushed. I didn't think she'd catch on to what I was doing.

"Either way, I think it's a great idea Karev. A good surgeon is never too good to learn new things. They should be prepared for any situation, and reading up on old cases is a good way to understand things that you might never actually see in the OR. You never know when it might happen though. Good job Karev." She looked at me proudly and I ducked my head, I never was good at being complimented. I mean I liked to be acknowledged for my achievements, but not to this extent.

"Oh boy, I think you've gone and embarrassed the kid Ari. It's sweet! Maybe I should go and find myself a protégé too. How about it Karev? Feel like switching to a more hardcore specialty?" Ryans teased.

"Peds is hardcore!" I said in unison with Robbins, though I was less indignant. I looked at Robbins and blushed again.

"Awwww, that is so cute. I'm super jealous."

I muttered out a 'whatever' before gathering my case files and fleeing the scene, leaving Ryans and Robbins giggling at my hurried departure. I really hated them at times, but secretly I was glad Robbins had someone. I knew it was hard to lose kids, and even though she put on a front, I could see the guilt and despair hidden behind her smiles every time we do lose one. Ryans made her laugh and I'd seen her go out of her way to find Robbins every time we lost one to comfort her, even if it was just to sit with her whilst she internally sorted out her feelings. I was glad that Ryans was able to bring back out the childish, perky side of Robbins every time. Okay, so maybe I didn't hate Ryans all that much, maybe.

* * *

One night, after a long shift, as I was headed home, I spotted Robbins passed out in the car park.

"Robbins! Hey, you alright?" I rushed to her side as quick as I could, and saw that she was really pale and cold. "Robbins... Arizona!" I was panicking; I'd never seen her like this before, then I noticed the blood. There wasn't a lot, but there was blood splattered on her clothes. "Shit."

"Hm?" She was waking up, barely though.

"Shit, you alright? Help me, I gotta get you to the hospital." I looked around for help, but there was no one around, not at this time at night at least.

"No, Terri."

"What? No, it's Alex" She was muttering and I could barely hear her. I wasn't going to let her die, dammit.

"No… Call…T…" She groaned out, and held out her phone, which was also covered in blood. I realised what she meant and grabbed her phone to dial Ryans.

"Ari? What's up?" Came from the other end, she sounded pretty awake, I tried to remember if she was on the night shift today.

"No it's Karev."

"…Karev? Why do you have Arizona's phone?"

"There's no time for that, I found her in the car park, pretty much out cold, she's covered in blood. I need to get her into the ER"

…

"Hello? Ryans!"

"Can you find a way to get her into my office without anyone noticing?"

The hell? She needed the ER, why the hell would I take her into her office?

"She needs to be checked out, she needs the ER!"

"Listen to me Alex," this got my attention, they had never referred to me as anything but 'Karev' before, "just get her into my office, I'm at the hospital, just trust me okay?"

I hung up and stripped off my jacket and wrapping it around Robbins. Looking around I debated whether or not to follow my orders. Screw it! I lifted her up and ran around the hospital, using the back entrance and ran up the stairs before anyone caught me. I was secretly glad that no one was around at this time; I'd have a hell of a time trying to explain why I had a bloody, unconscious woman in my arms.

When I finally got to her office, I saw Ryans waiting for me by her door, face full of concern.

"Lay her on the couch." I followed through, making sure that she was comfortable before turning towards Ryans. "You need to leave now Karev."

"The hell I am! I'm staying, and you better tell me why the hell I had to skip 3 floors to get her up here rather than run her straight into the ER!"

"Karev." Her voice cut like ice across the room, she levelled her eyes at mine and I noticed that her eyes were getting darker.

"What the hell is going on?" A groan broke through our stare down and we both moved towards the couch.

"Robbins, what happened?"

"Ari, wake up." It came out at the same time. Her voice seemingly to echo through the room, I snapped my head round towards Ryans, and I swear there was a faint glowing around her.

"Karev … Stays." She managed out. Ryans sighed before making the decision.

"Karev, lock the door and close the blinds." As I went to the door, I noticed her heading towards her desk; she sat down in her chair before reaching towards something under her desk. When I was closing the blinds, I heard the sound of a seal breaking and realised she had a mini fridge under her desk. She straightened up and I saw that she held a bottle in her hands.

"What the-"

"Karev, nothing can leave this room tonight okay? Anything you see, or hear, you ignore."

I just nodded mutely before following her back to the couch.

"Ari, drink up." She gently commanded, whilst twisting off the cap, and within seconds of the cap leaving the bottle, Robbins had shot up off the couch and latched onto Ryans' hands, pretty much downing the whole thing.

This was getting weirder by the moment, and I briefly had the thought to leave, but my concern over Robbins kept me stationary. I watched as the color began to return to her face and when she finally finished, she turned towards me with shining eyes that were glowing a deep purple. I froze immediately.

"What the hell?" A hand on my shoulder made me jump.

"Alex" Ryans warned.

"What the hell are you!" I demanded.

"Vampires." Came the small voice from the couch, she had more color in her face now, but still looked pretty weak. "I was attacked in the car park, it was 5 on 1, and usually I would be fine, but I was tired because-"

"You haven't left the hospital in 2 days because of the Thomas kid" I finished for her. We had a patient who was currently very much touch and go, and she had offered to stay and keep watch instead of me, even though it was a job for a resident.

"Yeah, so I hadn't had the time to properly … feed or anything."

Jesus Christ, things were getting weird. I looked at Robbins who was lying on the couch looking like a sick child and then towards Ryans, who remained silent and wore a poker face that was completely unreadable.

"So you're both vampires?" I got a nod, "And you were attacked by _other_ vampires" another nod, "And because you'd been looking after the kid that I should've been looking after because I'm a resident and you're an attending, you didn't have the time to, what was it? Feed? So you were tired and what hungry?" another nod again, "did you get hurt?" This got me a smile.

"No, I took care of them. But guess I was hungrier than I thought and I guess I passed out?" I nodded, "Right, I thought so, I just remember the last one disappearing and then you were there shouting my name. Thanks Alex."

I took in the situation and briefly wondered if I was dreaming, maybe I'd passed out in an on-call room, or maybe I'd eaten something wrong and thing was a nightmare.

"Are you okay Alex?"

"Me? What about you? Are you okay?" Was she really asking _me_ that?

"Oh yeah, I've fed now, just gotta get some rest, I'll be fine in a moment."

"So what happens now?"

"We kill you." Terri said it in such a serious tone, that I recoiled slightly, I looked at her red eyes. Wait, red?

"T, no." She pouted. What. The. Hell?

"Sorry Alex, but you can't tell anyone. It's not safe for you."

"For me? Aren't you afraid of people knowing about you?" In the back of my head, I thought it was kind of sweet that she was so concerned about me, but there were currently bigger issues that needed to be dealt with first.

"Well, we can erase their memories of us, but if _they_ find out that you know, then it'll be dangerous for you." I briefly wondered who 'they' were. "We can wipe your memories too if you want?"

"Are you really giving me a choice?" she nodded, and I contemplated this for a while. "Yeah, no thanks." They both stared at me in shock.

"Wha? But Alex-"

"No, because if this ever happens again, I'll know how to help you. I'm sure Ryans can't always be around; I mean what happens if the next time this happens and Ryans is in surgery or something? You'll probably die, or be bought into the ER and cause a huge scene or something." She smiled at me, and Ryans tilted her head deep in thought.

"We could always mark you?" Ryans added.

"Mark?"

"Yup, mark, for protection. It'll let you contact us when you need help, and we'll know where you are, so if you're ever with Ari, and need me, you won't have to phone me or anything, and I'll know where you are immediately. Though the catch is that you'll belong to us. You can't tell anyone about us, can't ask us about any others that are like us, you work for us and only us. Think you can keep up?"

"Do it" I replied immediately. There really was no need to think this through; I'd already decided when I said I'd help them. There wasn't really any change, Robbins was still the mentor that I respected and idolised, the person who would rather give up her own sleep and time to stay with a patient than hand her off to an intern. And Ryans? Well she was still the same Trauma God that came as a package with the Peds God.

"Seriously? Just like that?"

"Alex, think about it first." They said at the same time.

"Nope, I've decided. It doesn't matter, you're still freakishly perky and happy Arizona Robbins and you're still the freakishly annoying Terri Ryans, and as long as you don't try to bite me I'm good."

Ryans laughed out loud whilst Robbins pouted.

"Alex, we don't feed off humans, not live ones anyway, and definitely not if they don't give us permission. We live off blood packs and feeders."

"Feeders?"

"Yeah, they're the rare few humans who willingly offer live blood to be fed from. We, Terri and I, only use them in emergencies, like if we need healing. Otherwise we just use blood packs from donors. We don't go around killing humans for food or fun."

"Right, whatever, just mark me."

I watched as Robbins slowly got off the couch and approached me, her eyes growing from deep purple to a bright violet, she lifted her index finger and placed it above my heart and then a burning sensation filled my body. When she removed her hand, Ryans handed me a mirror and I saw my eyes were glowing purple, I moved my shirt and saw a glowing purple on my chest, and when it faded away to black, it looked sort of like a reversed moon.

"That's the sign of Artemis, and that would be me. Terri is Athena." She explained, "And we're Vampire _Royalty_. Welcome to the family Alexander Michael Karev."

* * *

A few months later, I heard that Terri, yes we were on first name basis now, had marked one of my interns. If I remember correctly, she was the half-sister of Meredith Grey, went by the name of Lexie, or Little Grey to us residents anyway. I didn't particularly like her, but I didn't dislike her. There wasn't anything special about her, but if she was willing to help us, then I'd tolerate her. Either way she was 'family' now.

It happened when we were taking a walk, we were ambushed and surrounded, there were at least ten strays, and they looked hungry. Terri and Arizona leapt into the fray, but then he came at Lexie, and I made it my priority to protect my new family member. I jumped in front of her and confronted the guy, but who was I kidding? I didn't stand a chance, and I was thrown away like a ragdoll.

"Lexie!" No, dammit, run away you stupid girl! Terri had taken care of the guy and taken her into her arms. "Do something Terri!" Dammit she's dying, it's my fault, I should've protected her. I watched Terri apologise to her, and before I could ask, her fangs sunk deep into her neck.

Maybe it was the adrenaline filtering away, or the aura that was emanating from Terri, either way, I felt the edges of my world darken.

"Alex!" It was Arizona, she fell to her knees and cushioned my head before it could hit the ground. What was happening to me? I looked down my body and realised it was covered in blood. Was that mine? Then it hit me, when the guy threw me away, he'd clawed through me, but my brain's need to protect Lexie had overridden the pain and blood. Well at least I'll die a hero…

But what about Arizona? I promised to help her, to protect her, I couldn't die now. She looked me with shining violent eyes and I nodded, I had a promise to fulfil, and I would spend the rest of my life dedicated to her. I closed my eyes as she sunk her fangs into me. I had no regrets in choosing this option, she'd taken me in when everyone else would've shunned me away, she given me everything, a purpose in life, and more than anything, she'd given me a family, to love and protect.

I had no regrets.

* * *

When I woke up, I was dying of thirst, I saw Arizona sitting by my bed, and when she noticed I was awake, she gave me a glass filled with something. I sniffed it and recognised it as blood, and without a second thought, downed the glass. I instantly felt better.

I walked into the bathroom to wash my face and when I looked into the mirror I saw dark purple eyes staring back at me, I opened my mouth to see fangs protruding along the top, I growled at the mirror. I heard giggling behind me and turned to see Arizona by the door.

"Having fun Alex?"

I blushed and looked away. I felt her walk up to me and place a hand on my shoulder.

"Lexie's awake now, come, we have things to do."

It was said in a commanding tone that I'd instantly obeyed. Perhaps this was the result of her biting me; I would always be at her beck and call now. Surprisingly, I was okay with that. If it had to be anyone, I was glad that it was Arizona.

I would die for her, for Arizona, my master.

* * *

A.N: Woooo that was long! I really do like Alex and Arizona together in a sibling kind of relationship. I think it's cute!

Thoughts?


	6. Chapter 6: Death and Rebirth 3: Teddy

A.N: Teddy's story!

* * *

Chapter 6: Death and Rebirth 3: Teddy

Teddy p.o.v

When I joined Seattle Grace Mercy West two years ago, I didn't know what to expect, I'd heard a lot of good things about the top rated hospital. But what I completely didn't expect was to run into Owen Hunt. We'd served in the army together for a while, but he'd gotten discharged before I had. In an even more surprising turn of events, I found out that Owen had been promoted to Chief a year ago after Richard Webber had retired. Needless to say, it was quite shocking on my behalf when I walked into the Chief's office on my first day to see the red haired man behind the desk.

"Owen?"

"Welcome to Seattle Grace Mercy West Doctor Altman." He replied with a grin. He got up, walked around the table and took me in for a hug. "God it's good to see you Teddy."

"The feeling is mutual, I mean, God, look at you, it's only been 2 years since we last saw each other and you're Chief!"

"Imagine my surprise when I received an application for the new Head of Cardio position sent from the Army! When I saw your name, I had to hire you immediately."

I recoiled slightly at the admission. "Wait, you didn't hire me because we're friends did you? Because that wouldn't be right."

He laughed, "God, you know I wouldn't do that Teddy, I looked through each application thoroughly, even made sure to put yours last so there was no bias. But seriously, your experience blew everyone else's away, there was no way I wouldn't have hired you, friends or not."

"I know, I'm sorry. Maybe spending the last decade in the army has made me unaccustomed to how job hunting works. You sure you want to hire me?" I joked, "I dunno, maybe I won't remember how to live life as a regular civilian and turn up to all my surgeries and consults in my fatigues and bark out orders like a drill sergeant."

After our laughter subsided, he looked at me intensely. I have to admit that I've always had a huge crush on Owen; we met at boot camp and went through everything together. We'd been through hell together and survived to tell the story.

"I really have missed you, Teddy" I couldn't help but blush at his admission. "We've got a great team here, and I know you'll be an exceptional addition. Just last year we had Dr Robbins and Dr Ryans take over our Peds and Trauma department, and needless to say, they have both been flourishing."

"Wait, as in _Arizona Robbins _and _Terri Ryans_?"

"Yup!" He seemed very proud of that, and he so should be.

"How in the _hell_ did you manage to get them to join? I mean no disrespect to you and SGMW, but they could get into anywhere! Arizona Robbins is like the in the top 3 Paediatric surgeons in the _country_, a superstar in her own right, and don't even get me started on Terri Ryans. The genius doctor, youngest attending in the ever, and has even managed to land her self within the top 3 Trauma surgeons in the country. Even I heard of their accomplishments all the way in Afghanistan."

"I know right?" He laughed, "They just came and handed me their applications, at the right time too. Dr Kenley had just passed away, and I was replacing Richard as Chief, talk about _coincidence_" he replied with a knowing smile. It was odd, but I brushed off the feeling.

"Jesus, and from what I hear, you've also got Derek Shepherd, Mark Sloan _and_ Addison Montgomery, who are all superstars and Gods/Goddesses in their own field. What the hell, are you like, a holding place for talented geniuses of the medical world?" It was pretty overwhelming for me. I mean talk about first day jitters; I had so many prestigious doctors to compete with.

Owen seemed to know what I was thinking, and sobered up immediately, "Don't worry about it Teddy, you're amazing, I've seen what you can do, and if I didn't think you'd fit in or that you couldn't handle the pressure, then I wouldn't have given the position to you. You work the best under pressure remember? We're hardcore soldiers, we never back down from a challenge!" Dammit, peer pressure; he always knew how to press my buttons.

"Fine, fine, but if I break down crying after my first week, I'm blaming you, _and_ you're paying for my therapy bills!" He laughed at me before leading me out the door to begin my first day.

* * *

So far my first day was going smoothly, after a quick tour of the hospital, I'd settled down into my office on the Cardio floor. The last Head had left a mass of paperwork for me to catch-up on. If the slimy weasel hadn't retired, I'd probably be tempted to strangle him. I mean seriously, it's like he didn't bother with any of the paperwork and had instead just piled them high on his desk.

Lunchtime was when my predicament came; it was like being the new kid at school all over again, standing there, holding my lunch tray, and looking for somewhere to sit. Every table seemed to be occupied, dammit, where was Owen when you needed him? I briefly considered going to eat in my office when my name was shouted loudly, "Hey Dr Altman!" I looked around trying to locate the owner of the voice, when I spotted a blonde sitting at one of the tables in the corner, waving at me cheerfully, signalling for me to go and join her. I debated whether or not I wanted to go, she seemed way too perky, but on the other hand, I really needed new friends. Shrugging my shoulders, I made my way over to her and sat down.

"Thanks for inviting me, I appreciate that." I smiled and took in the woman's appearance. Her long blonde hair was tied into a loose ponytail, she had strikingly clear blue eyes, and when she smiled at me, I noticed she had dimples too. In short, she was rather stunning.

"No problem, I'm Arizona Robbins, Head of Peds," holy shit, this woman was perky. Wait, did she say? _This_ is Arizona Robbins? I stared, mouth agape, this was really not what I'd expected from the world-renowned paediatric surgeon.

"Teddy Altman, Head of Cardio," I recovered quickly from my shock and shook her hand, "But you already seem to know that." She just gave me a cheeky grin before taking a sip from her cup.

We both sat silently eating our food, to be honest, it was pretty awkward, but she didn't seem to mind. She was still happily chomping away at her salad, and slurping from her cup like a child. I seriously wondered if the stories were all just fictional, and briefly wondered about her mentality. I shook that off though, I knew better than to judge a book by it's cover. When we were finished eating, she finally spoke up.

"Hey listen, you're new here, and I know how that feels, because that was me a year ago. So you and me, we're going to be friends." I was shocked by the finality in her voice, she was pretty confident of herself.

"We are?"

"Yup, I'm an awesome friend, oooh and Terri, you haven't met her yet, you will, now in fact, let's go!" The way her thoughts were jumping around, I seriously wondered if she had ADHD. _This _woman was the _Head_ of Peds? Seriously?

"Who's Terri?"

"Dr Terri Ryans, Head of Trauma, my best friend, we moved here a year ago. So me and Terri will be your new best friends here!"

With that I was pulled out of the canteen and into the ER, where I'm assuming one Dr Terri Ryans would be found.

"Oh hey Ari, just in time, got a patient for you." We turned around to see a dark haired woman headed our way. Seriously, does this hospital not have any bad looking doctors? She was stunning, tall, slim, brown eyes, fair skinned, and her smile was so charming, that I'm sure I blushed. I'd already met Dr Shepherd, Dr Sloan and Dr Montgomery, and this hospital seriously does not do things by halves, it was like I'd walked onto the set of a TV drama, where everyone was amazingly talented and charming and stunning. Talk about pressure.

"Hey T, this here's Dr Teddy Altman, and she's needs friends, so we're going to be her new best friends!" Arizona's declaration didn't seem to surprise Terri in anyway. Instead she just raised her eyebrow and chuckled.

"Aye, aye Captain," she saluted at Arizona and they both giggled, whilst I stared at them wide-eyed. Seriously? The charming Dr Ryans suddenly turned into a child around the blonde Peds surgeon, I was worried about the future of their departments, but Owen had said their departments were flourishing. Needless to say, I was thoroughly confused.

"Dr Altman, Cardio, right?" I was so deep in my thoughts, I didn't even realise I was being spoken to, until the blonde poked my side. I jumped and they both laughed.

"Yes, Teddy Altman, Head of Cardio" I held my hand out and stated in my most formal voice. She just raised an eyebrow at me before shaking my hand.

"Terri Ryans, Head of Trauma," she replied in a voice just as formal, but I could swear she was mocking me. "Good thing you're here actually, I was about to page the both you. We've got a 13 year old, didn't realise his brakes didn't work before he went full speed down a hill on his bike, got impaled by a freaking tree branch in the upper chest. Free for a consult?"

Excitement ran through my body at the prospect of a surgical case. I grinned like a child on Christmas, "Bring it."

* * *

As we were scrubbing out, I couldn't help but watch on in amazement. Terri and Arizona were messing around, giggling like children, yet only mere moments ago, we were elbow deep in a child's chest cavity. I was definitely wrong about them, the two surgeons that I'd worked with in the OR were cool, meticulous, precise, fast and they worked amazingly well together, almost as if they could read each other's minds; they were there to support each other before the other could make the next move. The moved together as one, and their knowledge was ridiculous; they had a plan for every situation, and had somehow, considering that we had never worked together before, managed to arrange it so my skills and I were able to completely harmonise with their movements. They were a phenomenal duo, and I was absolutely honored to have been able to work with them, a sentiment that I made known, but they'd just laughed it off.

"No way, you were amazing, like super, super amazing. You were _awesome_!"

"I agree with Ari, you were the star of the show, and we were just the helpful sidekicks in this scenario, we couldn't have done it without you Dr Altman." The energy coming from them was astonishing, I was absolutely shattered from the intense atmosphere of the OR; the patient kept crashing, but they was always there to bring them back, and they'd treated the last 8 hours like it was just a stroll in the park.

"I think, as my new best friends, that you're entitled to call me Teddy."

"Teddy it is then."

"Awesome!"

* * *

The more time I spent with the hyper duo, the more they amazed me. We spent a lot of lunches eating together, sometimes in the canteen and sometimes outside in the park by the hospital, there were times where two other doctors joined us. I later learned that one was a resident named Alex Karev and the other an intern named Lexie Grey, and as I watched their interaction, it genuinely made me smile. The duo never once acted like superiors, they teased their juniors and played around goofily, but was always willing to offer advice or opinions on surgeries they'd encountered, sharing stories of their own of similar cases. They never once made the junior doctors feel uncomfortable asking any questions, even ones with obvious answers, I'd later learn that Alex was Arizona's protégé, so they'd worked together a lot, but they feeling I got from them was that they were all very close; just like a little family. It was really endearing, I had asked about Terri and Arizona's close relationship, and it was a rather embarrassing moment if I have to admit.

"So, like, are the two of you together?" They'd turned from where they were laughing at Lexie's misfortune of having a drunk patient throw up on her in the ER this morning, and looked at me curiously.

"Um, yes? We're always together, why?" Arizona cluelessly replied, and from the look Terri was giving me, she'd guessed what I was really implying.

"No, I mean like _together_, together. You know like _lesbians_,"

"Uhm, yes we're gay?" That didn't help at all.

"No, like, dammit, are you sleeping together?" The other three were now turning red from trying to stifle their laughter.

"Yeah, we slept in the same bed last night, why?" Oh my god! She can seriously _not_ be this clueless. I was getting frustrated, how many other ways could I put it before she got it? It was only then that I'd noticed the twinkle in her eye. Dammit! She played me!

"Dammit Arizona!" They burst at into laughter at this point and I turned bright red.

"Oh my god, that was hilarious!" Terri said after catching her breath, I looked at Arizona who was now holding her stomach, tears coming from her eyes, giggling uncontrollably.

"We grew up together Teds, so we're always close, we're like sisters, except we're not. She's technically my cousin. And even though she's _supposed_ to be older than me, I look after her, she gets into a lot of trouble you see?" she grinned and Arizona pouted.

"Hey! Not fair, it's not my fault, you always lead me into these situations and disappear so I'm left with the aftermath, and then you magically reappear to 'save the day'."

Whilst the two cousins duked it out, I stared on in wonder. It did make a lot of sense, but still, it was weird to consider that they were cousins, they way they played it; they seriously looked like a loving, married couple. Guess I called that one wrong then.

* * *

It had been about six months since I'd arrived to SGMW, and I'd gotten used to a lot of different scenarios and more, especially being around the Godly Duo, as I had named Terri and Arizona. One scenario I never imaged I'd stumble upon was seeing two doctors, a resident and an intern, smuggling blood packs up from the … _basement_? It was late at night the first time I'd caught them, so I thought I was imagining things from lack of sleep, but the second time? I had just started my shift and it was midnight, when I caught them running upstairs from the basement. Deciding that I wasn't hallucinating, I followed them upstairs, only to end up outside Terri's office.

I didn't think Terri was on that night, but the sounds from the other side of the door told a different story. I opened to door to find Alex and Lexie pouring blood from the packs into bottles. Startled, they whipped their heads up and stared at me. We just stayed there, me at the door and them on the couch staring at each other, before I broke the silence.

"What the hell are you doing?" I walked towards them and picked up a full bottle from the coffee table in front of them, "Is that blood? Are you _stealing_ blood?"

"We can explain!" The both exclaimed.

There was a gust of wind and the door slammed shut behind me, I heard the sound of the lock engaging and turned around to see both Terri and Arizona standing there. Where the hell did they come from? I didn't even hear them; they didn't even make a single noise.

"Teddy," Terri's voice was calm, far too calm for the situation.

I was put off by her voice, but I still pushed forward, "You know I'm going to have to report them for stealing hospital equipment right?" I wasn't even sure if blood counted as 'hospital equipment', but this wasn't making sense to me, and I was hoping they'd explain it to me.

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that." She took a step towards me and I could feel the air around us change. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I could sense a dangerous aura, but it didn't make sense. This was Terri and Arizona, for all their perkiness and goofiness, even when in the OR; their presence was never like this. This was darker, and much more intimidating. I took a quick glance towards Alex and Lexie and saw that they hadn't reacted to the change at all, was this _normal_?

"Look, we're best friends right? Just tell me what's going on." I was desperately trying to diffuse the intense atmosphere that had appeared, you could seriously cut the tension with a knife.

It was Lexie who finally spoke up, though she was more apprehensive, as if treading carefully to test the waters. "Can't we just tell her, Terri? _Please_? I mean, Arizona likes her, right?" She looked towards Arizona, who was still staring at me intensely, and after a moment she nodded her head. Both Lexie and I relaxed slightly, but I tensed up immediately again, feeling Terri's breath on the back of my neck. When did she get _there_?

"You _really_ want to know?" She inhaled deeply, taking in my scent and I shivered. "It's your call Ari, what you want to do?" She backed away, and I finally felt like I could breathe again. Arizona walked towards me,

"Teddy…" She began.

"No! I know that tone of voice Arizona, no more lies, no placating me, I want the truth." I cut her off, I recognised her tone of voice, it was the same she used with her kids, the ones who wanted a story, or the ones who were scared of surgery and she made up a lie to placate them.

She sighed, and looked around the room, before stopping just over my shoulder at Terri.

"It's your dance this time Ari, take the floor and lead."

"We're Vampires, Teddy." I froze; momentarily I thought she was joking, until I noticed the sombre look on her face, I realised the graveness of the situation.

"What? H-How?" For the life of me, I could not figure out why I asked that. Her look of melancholy made me almost regret asking.

"T was born one, and I was … Sort of made one."

"Sort of? How can you sort of be made one?"

"I don't know, I don't remember, when T found me, I had no memories of anything. I didn't even know who I was, we've been trying to piece together my past."

I felt guilty for bringing that back up, but it was confusing, Terri and Arizona were cousins, so if Terri was born a vampire how could Arizona not be? Neither one seemed to have an answer; they were as in the dark as I was regarding Arizona's past.

"So, is there anything I can do to help?" she looked at me in shock, and I'm not surprised, I suppose it's not everyday that someone tells you they're a vampire and the response in an offer of assistance.

"Really? Just like that? No freaking out? Because you seemed pretty freaked out earlier on?"

"Well yeah, that was because I walked caught them stealing blood and then walked in to a pretty bloody scene here," pointing at Lexie and Alex, "I thought you were in some weird cult, or were secretly serial killers with crazy fetishes or something." Lexie giggled at this, and I'd later find out that she once thought they were serial killers too.

Arizona practically tackled me into a hug, "Yay! I hated keeping this from you, I mean we didn't have a choice, but you were, no you _are_ our best friend, and we felt bad having to lie to you all the time to hide what we were really doing."

"So, Lexie and Alex too?" I still didn't know how they fit in to the story.

"They were marked," she stated obviously, as if I should've known already.

"Marked?"

"Yeah, it was for protection, once you're marked we always have contact and know where you are, sort of like a GPS/tracking kind of thing, although the contact thing works both ways. But if we mark you, then you belong to us, you answer to us, you work for us, you can't tell anyone about us, can't ask about any others like us, and your whole world is practically dictated by us and only us. Sort of like property."

It was interesting and horrifying at the same time. On the one hand, to be protected by vampires and having constant contact with another person sounded kind of cool, but on the other hand to be own like property by someone, to be made a _slave_, that made me shiver.

"So they've been marked by you?"

"Oh not both, Alex is mine, Lexie 'belongs' to Terri."

"But they're really nice, they've never treated us like property. I mean, you've seen us interact on a daily basis, and it's pretty much the same always, there might be instances when we've been 'ordered' to do things, but that was always for our safety." Lexie cut in and rambled on, "and they said they would never feed on us, they only feed from blood packs like this, and feeders, who are the humans that volunteer and are willing to be fed on. Otherwise, it's all blood that's been stored, which tastes horrible compared to the fresh stuff, but they don't kill humans." I shivered at the thought of feeder, why would anyone _want_ to be fed from? Wait a second.

"It tastes _horrible_? You _know_ how it tastes?" Lexie recoiled immediately at the realisation that she'd revealed more than she wanted.

"Shit, uhm-I…" It was Terri who came to her aid.

"There was a situation, and incident if you will, that caused us to require to turn our humans."

"Because we were pretty much dying. We got attacked and almost died; Terri and Arizona couldn't bear to see us die, so they changed us. Alex chose to be changed and I didn't know until I woke up," Terri's face darkened and Lexie hurriedly added "but I don't regret it!" She looked at Terri, "Really, I don't. I wanted to become useful to you, it was my choice to join you in the first place, and so becoming a vampire just extended that offer to a lifetime deal."

I looked at them all, and was hit by the bond shared between the four of them. They really cared about each other, and I could see that Arizona and Terri were still plagued by the guilt of having the turn their friends, and that Alex and Lexie still strongly and loyally stood by their friends.

"Right, so are you going to have to mark me too?"

"We'd probably have to, you'd be targeted if anyone found out you knew about us. I could always just wipe your memory of this event completely if you'd rather that?" It was sweet to see Arizona giving me an out. If she'd offered that same to Alex and Lexie, then I think that the bond between them really is genuine rather than forced to become because of the situation.

"I want to help you Arizona, you said that you're trying to reclaim your lost past right?" She nodded at that, "right, well I want to help you. As your best friend, I'm declaring it a priority, no a necessity to help you, whether it be past, present or future, I'm here for you." I looked at Terri, "both of you. Hell even Alex and Lexie too, I don't know if I'll be of any help, but the more the merrier right?"

The four shared a look between them, holding a silent conversation that I wondered if I would be privy to if I was marked. Arizona lifted her index finger and placed it above my heart, but then she hesitated, her eyes drifted off to Terri.

"It's your show Ari," she reminded her. Her eyes turned a bright violet, before I was overcome with a burning sensation that spread throughout my entire body. When it disappeared, I was given a mirror, to which I noticed that my eyes had briefly turned a light purple and I had been left with a black mark that resembled a reverse moon.

"That's the sign of Artemis, which is me. Terri is Athena." She explained, "And we're Vampire _Royalty_. Welcome to the family Theodora Altman."

* * *

I'd eventually learned that Alex and Lexie had been vampires for just over a year, and told me things they'd learned about, like their hyper senses, the enhanced speed and strength. The visual manifestations of their powers, like elemental summoning for example, which they had not yet mastered and was still nowhere near affective as their sires, was the most interesting thing. To be honest it was to be expected, considering that their sires had been vampires for years and were royalty to add to that. I had heard myths of the senses, speed and strength, but I'd never thought there'd be additional powers too.

I got the chance to experience the additional power first hand, far too soon, to my dismay.

Perhaps it was the scent of the blood covering my scrubs that had attracted them, but when I'd headed to the roof for some air, I found myself face to face to what I later learned to be a stray. Strays were vampires who were turned in a ruthless feeding; they possessed no masters, and no control. All I know is that one minute I'm staring into the snarling face of a monster, and the next, he'd pounced at me. My army training kicked in and it was only my survival reflexes that had saved my head from being torn off. My arm, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. He'd latched onto my shoulder and he'd dug his claws deep into the joint, and all I could feel was burning pain, as his hand burst into flames and my arm ignited. He then proceeded to pull at my arm, whilst I tried to pull away from him, which was a bad move on my behalf, as the pulling from either side caused my body to separate completely from the arm from the shoulder joint. And Jesus did that hurt! I had dropped to the floor and closed my eyes, resigned to my fate, when the door burst open.

"Teddy!" I opened my eyes at my saviour to see Terri, eyes ablaze, fangs at the ready, and in the blink of an eye, she'd disappeared and reappeared in front of the stray. Seeing my burning and bloody arm in his possession, she growled and he was enveloped in a flame of pure anger, before he promptly turned to dust. I could still hear his screams echoing in my head.

"Shit, Teddy, stay with me." This was really not how I'd ever imagined my death to come about, not that I really think about dying that often. But seriously, dying because a deranged vampire set your arm alight and then tore it off and then bleeding to death on the roof of a freaking hospital was _not_ the way to go.

"Shit, shit, shit, Arizona's still in surgery, shit, freaking dammit!" it was amusing that Terri was panicking more that I was, I mean hello? I'm the armless dying person here; perhaps I'd developed a morbid sense of humor in my last moments.

Her eyes were still blazing a bright red, and I could tell she was still angry. Would she turn me?

"Do you want me to?" I didn't realise that I'd spoken out loud. It was endearing, how even when I was practically on death's door, that she'd still asked for my permission. Maybe being their possession wouldn't be so bad after all; I mean I'd do anything to take away all this pain.

"Do it."

I felt her breath on my neck, "I'm sorry," it was the last thing I heard before I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I'd briefly wondered if she always apologised before biting someone, before I passed out.

* * *

When I woke up, I was on a couch, Terri's couch to be accurate; it was the couch in her office, from what I could tell. The first thing I did was lift up my right arm, which was miraculously whole and together again. Regenerative powers perhaps? The next thing I did was flex my fingers to be sure that it was really attached and actually worked.

"You're awake," came a sombre voice from behind me, I sat up and saw that Terri was sat behind her desk, rocking back and forth on her chair. It was only then that I'd noticed the other people in the room, Alex and Lexie were sat in front of her desk, and Arizona, who'd I'd just realised, was sat on the couch next mine, eyes avoiding contact with mine. Lexie stepped forward and handed me a bottle that I recognised as the ones from Terri's fridge; the ones filled with blood. She nodded towards the en suite bathroom and I headed towards it, bottle in hand. I removed my top, and then drank from the bottle, hungrily if I might add, and looked into the mirror. The first thing I noticed was the dull red eyes staring back at mine, the next was that my shoulder had completely healed and not a single trace of trauma had been left behind. I put my top back on and headed back into the room. As I stood there at the doorway, I took in the four in the room who had a heavy cloud of gloom sitting over their heads. The fact that they weren't overjoyed that I'd become one of them made me feel glad, it felt like I wasn't taken advantage of. The situation was dire, and we'd had no choice, but Terri had asked for permission, that I had given, rather than take away the option. I looked towards Arizona, and remembered that I had made her a promise; a promise to help her find her past. This was my reality now, and I had no regrets. I stepped into the room and it felt exhilarating.

I was home.

* * *

A.N: I swear these chapters are just getting longer and longer!


	7. Chapter 7: Encounters

A.N: I'm going to apologise here in advance for this chapter. The p.o.v's jumped around a bit, so tell me if it's too confusing and you'd prefer I do it a different way.

* * *

Chapter 7: Encounters

Callie's p.o.v

It had been a few days since my encounter with Arizona in the changing rooms, and I still remember it clearly. The moment she said 'Calliope', my heart sped up so much I thought I was going to die. It was like high school all over again, but better, because we were older and more mature; we no longer had the childish views of what love was, we had a chance at the real thing.

At least that's what I'd like to think, considering I hadn't actually seen Arizona since then. Was she avoiding me?

"Yo, Torres!" A booming voice came from behind me; I turned to see Mark Sloan, Plastics God and Man-whore extraordinaire, walking towards me.

"Hey, what's up?"

"What's up? That's all you've got to say? I mean come on Torres, you finally hop on over to the dark side and join us here and we've barely seen you. It's been a week!" He whined and pouted.

"_That_ is not a good look for you Mark, is that how you get the girls? Because, seriously, if that's it, then you've got to work on your technique."

"Yeah, well I managed to get you back in med school didn't I?" He replied cockily. I just rolled my eyes at him, already used to his behaviour.

"Whatever, where's Addie anyway?" It was weird to see Mark without Addie, they were always attached at the hip, I could swear there was something going on there, but they insisted there wasn't. Although, I'm sure Mark has hinted that there was someone Addie liked, I really wanted to know who had managed to catch the eye of _the_ Addison Montgomery.

"Had a consult, but you, me, Addie, tonight, Joes?" Joes was the name of the local watering hole, where most of the staff at SGMW ends up after their shifts. I hadn't had a chance to visit it yet, but I suppose tonight was the night.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there, 7pm alright?" I waved him off.

"Yes!" he pumped his arm in the air, "Bring mini-Torres too, gotta properly welcome the two of you to Seattle."

"Yes, now go!" I pushed him towards the exit. "I've got work to do, and I'm sure you do too, I mean that's what they're paying you for right?"

* * *

When I got to Joes that night, I found that it was surprisingly packed, considering it was a weekday. I recognised a lot of doctors and nurses that littered around and nodded to a few on my way to the bar. I had yet to see Mark or Addie, and Aria wasn't coming until later, so I was stuck on my own for a while. Then I heard it; laughter, coming from the other side of the bar, I'd recognise that sweet voice even in my sleep. It was Arizona. I watched with a smile, as she threw her head back in laughter. She'd grown up and matured, but I could still see the remnants of the childish innocence she'd always possessed. Either way, I was as attracted to her now, as I was back then. How could I not be? The woman was stunning, charming, and adorable all rolled up into a very hot body, and not to mention her hands, the hands of an accomplished surgeon, I could only imagine what else she could do with those hands.

I had to catch myself before I started drooling at her, I took the time to look at the people she was with, I recognised Dr Ryans, Dr Altman, her beloved protégé Karev, but I didn't recognise the last one. Maybe she wasn't from the hospital. I didn't have time to linger, because clear blue eyes caught mine, and I swear I stopped breathing. She gave me a cheeky grin, dimples in full force and I felt a full body blush take over. All of a sudden a heavy hand landed on my back, making me gasp.

"There you are Torres!" Jesus Christ, Mark has bad timing. Arizona threw me a wink before turning back to her friends, leaving me to stare at the side of her face.

I spent the rest of the night with Mark, Addie and Aria. We'd already been given the run down of staff that Aria and I would be working with; Mark had given us a very detailed list of ones he'd like to sleep with and ones he'd already slept with. Addie had pitched in every now and again, but had mostly sat there rolling her eyes, until he mentioned Teddy.

"Really? _Altman_? What's so great about her?" The disgust dripping from her tone caught my attention

"What? She's hot! And she's an army chick, I wouldn't mind letting her boss me around," he replied waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Urgh, you disgust me Sloan," she rolled her eyes at him. This was interesting, and I just had to ask.

"What's up with you and Altman?"

"She just doesn't fit it with us. The rest of us are well known, _everyone_ has heard of us, but her? She came out of nowhere, and she's going to ruin our reputation."

"I'm sure the two of you don't usually cross paths, have you worked with her before?" It didn't make sense; Addie has always been welcoming, something must have happened to make her hate the woman so much.

"I had a case with her last year, the woman was 5 months pregnant, but she had an underlying heart condition. Altman didn't even ask about the patient, she just looked over her chart and said she should probably have an abortion because there was no way her heart would be able to handle the strain."

"I'm guessing she was wrong then?" It started to make sense now, Addie's job was to make sure that women were able to go through their pregnancy as safely as possible, so if an 'unknown' surgeon came and undermined her abilities, then there would be resentment.

"No, the patient had a stroke at 7 months and both her and her child didn't make it."

"So what was the problem than? She was right, it's not like she made wild assumptions. Is this because you were wrong?"

"No! Dammit, she just came in and told the patient to abort. She didn't even know the patient, she and her husband had been trying to get pregnant for 5 years, they'd tried everything, and this was going to be their last attempt. They finally got pregnant; I wasn't about to tell them that she wouldn't be able to carry out to full term. She disregarded the patient's wishes and practically said that if you don't abort then one or both of you will die. It was like she was telling her to choose between her and her baby's life. It was harsh, and uncalled for!" Addie huffed out. Boy, she was really pissed about that.

"Okay, I'm sorry I asked." I really didn't get it, but the more Addie tried to explain the more confused I got, so I just left it.

Aria swiftly changed the topic, and we managed to take the spotlight away from the fuming red head, until she calmed own. I got lost in the conversation, whilst throwing glances in Arizona's direction whenever I could. I thought I was being subtle, but evidently, since Addie kept giving me sly smirks, I wasn't successful at all. At least Mark had yet to notice, he was too occupied with trying to pick up one of the nurses from the hospital.

Aria had had enough of watching Mark's slow burn to rejection so she pulled Addie and I onto the dance floor, which just so happened to bring us closer to Arizona's group.

"_Jesus_ Cal, just go ask her to dance." Aria whispered into my ear.

"What? Who?" I didn't think Aria would be paying that much attention to me, what with all the fine male specimens that we were surrounded by.

"That blonde over there. The one you've been throwing looks at all night!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine where am I thanks." I played dumb, there was no way I was going to ask her to dance, especially not since she was still in the phase where she didn't remember me. It would be awkward and embarrassing to be rejected in front of all of our colleagues.

That didn't mean I didn't fantasise about what it would feel like to have her body pressed up against mine, to have her hands on my body and her lips … Okay get a hold of yourself Torres.

It turns out that I didn't have to wait that long anyway, as a soft body pressed up against mine, and a smooth, silky voice followed.

"Mind if I cut in?" I looked around and saw that Addie and Aria had magically disappeared, leaving me to fend for myself. I turned around and found myself face to face with deep blue eyes, slowly I raised my arms to wrap around her neck as she wrapped hers around my waist, and we began to move with the beat. Eventually, she'd ended up with her head buried in my neck, nuzzling me softly and I'd laid my cheek on the side of her head, the moment was perfect. She inhaled deeply, as if breathing in my scent, before she raised her head again, just inches away from my face. I stared into her eyes, before darting down to her lips and back again, slowly we both began to lean forward, but before we could touch, I felt another presence behind me, and Arizona stiffened.

"Sorry to ruin to moment guys, but we gotta run Ari." Terri's voice rang out, and I could feel how tense Arizona had gotten, I took a quick glance at her, and saw her stiffly nod, before throwing me an apologetic glance. I just smiled and released my arms from around her neck, I watched as they both ran to their table to collect their things, but before she could follow Terri out, she ran back to me and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'll see you later, Calliope." She whispered into my ear before she pulled back and ran out the door. I stood there mouth agape, before a huge grin started to take over.

* * *

When we left the bar, we noticed that it was a surprisingly clear night for Seattle, and decided to take advantage of that by walking home. I split up with Mark and Addie at the exit, and headed off in different directions to our own respective apartments, Aria had left earlier on, claiming that she had a early start so had gone home to sleep.

I was so deep in my thoughts from the kiss Arizona gave me before that I hadn't realised that I was being followed. A shadow came out unexpectedly and tackled me into an alley.

_Shit_…

* * *

General p.o.v – Mark and Addison

Mark and Addison had left Callie at the doorway of Joes, seeing as they were headed in opposite directions, and they had gotten about two blocks away, when they heard sounds of growling that didn't sound like they were from an animal.

"Shit, Mark, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, where is it coming from? It doesn't sound like a dog."

They followed the sounds into an alleyway, and when they reached the end, they saw an old abandoned warehouse, hidden away by surrounding buildings.

"I think it's in there, should we check it out?" Mark thought about it for a while before he started sniffing at the air.

"There's blood, I smell blood!" They both charged into the warehouse and there, laying on the ground bleeding, was a man, dressed in black. Addison was the first to reach the man, but before she could do anything, he span around, eyes burning yellow, mouth open with fangs at the ready, saliva dripping everywhere and snapped at her.

"Watch out Addie!" screamed Mark, before his eyes turned bright green and he let out a green bolt which threw the man across the room. "Addie! You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, shocked, but fine. Where's the guy?" They couldn't find him around the room, so they slowly walked further into the building, scanning every surface for evidence of the man.

Addison felt a presence above her, and look up just in time to see a shadow fall down, yellow eyes were the last thing she saw before blood splattered everywhere.

"Addie!"

* * *

General p.o.v – Alex, Lexie and Teddy

They were all relaxing at the bar, Arizona had gone off to dance with Callie, and Alex was trying to engage Lexie in a drinking competition. A phone vibrated on the table and a pale hand reached towards the phone.

"Ryans." Teddy watched on curiously as Terri's face seem to darken, "I see …" She couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but judging by Terri's tone, it wasn't good news. "We'll be right there." She caught the attention of the other three and simply stated, "We've got trouble. I'll go get Ari, meet me outside."

When they were all gathered, confusion was evident on all of their faces.

"What's going on T?" Arizona was still annoyed that she had been pulled away from her moment with Callie, so she was neither polite nor friendly.

"I just got a call from one of the_ Seers_, and she said there's been a sudden increase of stray activities. That means a lot of dead humans, and we need to take care of them." Arizona's defensive position dropped immediately and she stood up to attention, ready to take orders. "Teddy, Lex, Alex, you guys go to the abandoned warehouse on Charles, Ari, you take the docks."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going down the sewers." Arizona scrunched her nose up at that, "I know right? We can swap if you'd rather-"

"_Hell no!_"

Looking around for any witnesses, they all disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a gust of wind, headed to their separate destinations.

* * *

After reaching the warehouse, they were overwhelmed by the scent of blood. It was lucky that they had been personally trained by the two Royalties, and had a lot of control, because a lesser vampire would've been overcome by the scent and bloodlust and lost control.

"Jesus, there's so much death here, how many humans do you think it takes to give off a scent that strong?" Teddy was glad that Terri had suggested they all feed before heading to the bar, the scent suggested either a strong stray or a lot of them. Either way, she needed to be at 100% right now.

"The last time I smelled something this strong, was when Athena and I found a nest covered with about 20 bodies, and this scent is a lot stronger." Lexie shivered at the memory; sometimes she really hated the fact that she had a photographic memory.

"Yeah, I remember that, there were a lot of kids too, Artemis had gotten really angry, and pretty much slaughtered them all. She'd just lost a long-term patient beforehand as well, I remember how she practically stormed out of the OR, and left me to close up for her. I guess she took it out on the strays huh? The funniest thing was when we got back, she gave me a lecture on how she was being a bad role model and that I should never leave before I'd closed, and that the dead deserved respect and some other bullshit, whilst she was covered head to toe in blood." Alex sniggered, before sobering up and staring up at the building. "Something feels different about this one though, the aura, it's not what we usually encounter."

"Athena did seemed pretty pissed about the phone call, guess this is serious then huh? Keep your eyes peeled Alex, Lexie, we can't disappoint them." They had taken to calling their sires by their aliases during missions; Lexie had started it, then Alex joined, and when Teddy went on her first mission with them, she followed.

They finally entered the building, and it was quiet, eerily quiet. Their eyes changed, Alex to dark purple and Lexie and Teddy to dark red, in order to see through the darkness of the room. They could hear the sounds of groaning and growling in the distance, and the sounds of sucking that was closer to them. They narrowed down their search to find two strays feeding from a human. Teddy flashed behind one of them and snapped their neck, turning them into dust instantly; the other charged at Lexie, whilst a third unseen stray tackled Alex into another room. Lexie engaged in combat with the stray avoiding frantic slashes, before she landed a punch that sent him flying into a pillar, bloody and unmoving. Alex reappeared in the room, dusting his hands that were now covered in blood.

"Piece of cake." Teddy and Lexie rolled their eyes at him, she sounds of growling increased and they realised the commotion had alerted their presence to the remaining strays upstairs.

They all split up in different directions, engaging stray after stray; they had noticed that each stray possessed dark yellow eyes instead of the soul-less dark eyes they usually had. When they met up on the third floor, they were horrified by the sight of bodies covering every available surface in the room, on the floor, the tables, and even pinned up on the walls. There were easily 30-40 bodies lying around. It was a fucking burial sight, and stood right in the centre was a tall, muscular brunette man, with eyes shining bright yellow, smirking at them.

"You son of a bitch!" Alex charged straight for him, but was easily dodged and crashed into the wall. Teddy caught the brunette by the arm as he evaded Alex, strategically placed her leg and flipped him over onto the floor, she punched downwards, but he flashed away, making her hit the floor cracking the concrete. She received a blow to the stomach that sent her flying towards the pillars, he flashed to her before she could recover and aimed his claws at her. Lexie's bolt interrupted the attack and she launched herself at his left side whilst Alex came at his right, Teddy charged from the front, but the brunette expelled an aura of yellow that came from his entire body, sending the three in different directions, all colliding with the walls.

"It this it? Well that was boring," the brunette taunted them with a smug grin on his face, "I was expecting _more_ from the infamous hunters in this city."

The three froze, not expecting the man to speak, stray's were usually hysterical and wild, brainless, more like zombies, driven purely by bloodlust. They were even more amazed at the control he had over his power; they came to the realisation that this was _not_ just another stray.

"_Fuck. You!"_ Alex growled out before he released his own aura, purple surrounding his entire body, eyes turning from dark purple to a lighter purple, the sign of Artemis glowing proudly on his chest. The brunette's eyes widened in shock, he couldn't move, the air had thickened so much that he couldn't control his limbs. He was stuck.

"Shit!" It was that last thing he managed before Alex's claws dug into his throat and tore a chunk out of his neck, his other arm ignited as lightning swam from across his arm down to his hand, and he shot it straight into the brunette's face. The room exploded in light, flesh and blood, when it faded, they were left with the smell of burnt flesh.

"Oh God, that's gross," Lexie gagged slightly, "did you really have to do that? Make him explode?"

Alex smirked, "It was cool though right?" He wiped his own blood from the cut on his forehead and looked at his 'sisters', they were both bruised and covered in cuts and bleeding from various places, but nothing serious enough that needed immediate attention.

"_Addie!"_

They snapped their heads to the door and flashed towards the sound.

* * *

General p.o.v – Mark and Addison

"Addie!"

The man stared at Mark, yellow eyes wide open, as he was suspended in mid air, impaled on Addison's sharp claws. She threw him to the ground and glared at him.

"Ugh! I _just_ had my nails done yesterday." She turned her back to the man as she whined at Mark.

"You okay Addie?" Mark rushed over to her side, "I mean other than the broken nail, that is" Addison narrowed her eyes at him unamused.

The man charged at Addison and Mark whilst their back was turned, they tensed, ready to attack, but the arrival of a fourth presence saved them. The person had come from above, and landed on one knee, the stray's head in their lightning covered hand, crashed face down on the ground. He promptly burst into dust and two other figures appeared on either side of their saviour.

Mark and Addison growled and bared the fangs at the newcomers, eyes ablaze, light green shining. They were met with a set of red eyes and a set of purple eyes, the kneeling figure stood up to reveal their own red eyes, the air thickened around them and Mark and Addison struggled to breathe slightly.

"Mark? Addison?" The air dropped, and they gasped.

"T-Teddy?" She looked to the two standing on either side of her, "Alex and … Lexie?" She looked at Mark who was just as confused as she was.

"What the hell?"

* * *

Callie p.o.v

"_Shit!"_

That fucking hurt, what the hell was that? I looked up to see a man …_growling? _Was he growling at me? His eyes were glowing a dull yellow, and _were those fangs?_ I swear I didn't drink that much, so this was _not _a dream. He lunged at me and I rolled to the side, barely avoiding his attack. Shit, my ribs hurt; I think he broke some when he tackled me into the alleyway.

He recovered quickly and turned to me, seeing I was backed into a corner, he charged again and I closed my eyes, waiting for impact.

Suddenly, I felt a gush of wind and something splatter across my face. I opened my eyes and saw the back of a blonde woman, hair fluttering in the wind, with her right arm stretched out to the side parallel with her shoulder, her palm was facing down with her fingers all stretched out straight, and at the end of her fingers I saw claws. Over her shoulder I saw the man with his yellow eyes opened wide, throat split wide open. I touched my face and when I pulled my hand away I saw it was covered in blood. His blood. He turned to dust and when the woman turned around I was met with a familiar face, with bright violet eyes and an aura of complete coolness surrounding her.

"A… _Arizona?"_

* * *

A.N: Thoughts?


	8. Chapter 8: Revelations

A.N: Thank you all for the reviews, I love you all!

* * *

Chapter 8: Revelations

General p.o.v – Warehouse

Addison and Mark stared at the other three in astonishment, and in a move that surprised even Mark, Addison growled and launched herself at Teddy in a flash; but Teddy was far quicker and had her subdued with her hands behind her back.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing Montgomery?" Teddy hissed into her ear.

"You're responsible for all the blood in here aren't you? You're a disgrace, killing innocent humans for fun." Addison struggled as she tried to get out of Teddy's hold, but Teddy was a lot stronger and she held on firmly.

"Of course we are, and we even left a half dead stray here to 'surprise' you, aren't we thoughtful" sarcasm laced heavily in her words, Teddy released Addison with a shove. "In fact, we even thought, 'hey just for the hell of it, we'll even come save you afterwards'." Her red eyes burned brighter and Lexie quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation.

"Dr Montgomery, Dr Sloan, we didn't know you'd be here. We didn't even know you had been sired. We were just here to 'clean up'."

"What makes you think we were sired? We could've been born vampires you know? And what the hell do you mean by _'clean up'_?" Addison didn't take her eyes from Teddy, even as she was speaking to Lexie.

"Yeah, there's no way you're pure bloods, your auras are too weak" grunted Alex, ever the blunt one, and Mark had to physically restrain Addison from attacking Alex, "And it's our job to take care of any strays around the city."

"Says who?" Addison huffed; she did not like being underestimated by anyone, a resident no less!

"Our sires."

Mark had released Addison after his comment had made her stop trying to attack them, they looked at each other, and Mark took the lead.

"Look, we should probably talk about this, like in a calm, neutral environment?"

The other three glanced between themselves, holding a silent conversation; Mark and Addison watched on curiously as Lexie tensed and her eyes grew wide.

"_Lexie, heed my call"_ it echoed through her head. Teddy and Alex waited patiently as she received her instructions.

"_Master?"_

"_We all need to gather, I have some unsettling news."_

"_We have a problem,"_

"_What problem?"_

"_We've encountered two other vampires, Dr Montgomery and Dr Sloan."_

"…"

"_Master? Athena?"_

"_Bring them along"_

"We need to go," Lexie look at Mark and Addison, "and you need to come with us." They didn't even have a chance to refuse as Alex and Teddy had grabbed them and they all flashed away.

Bright yellow eyes watched on unknowingly and a smile spread across their face. _"Game on."_

* * *

General p.o.v – Arizona and Callie

"_A…Arizona?"_

She looked away, completely stoic, she'd never wanted Callie to find out like this, but she couldn't let her get hurt.

"You're a _Vampire_?"

She looked at her in shock, "Y-You _know_ about Vampires?"

Callie nodded, "my parents told me about them, I'm not sure how they know about them, but Aria and I had a few maids that were vampires."

Arizona stared at her puzzled, '_she had vampire maids?_' she shook her head to clear her thoughts; she needed to prioritise right now. "We need to get out of here, come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To somewhere safe, we need to talk, but we need to get everyone together first."

"Everyone? Who else is there?" Callie didn't like being kept in the dark, but Arizona was less than forthcoming with information and it was frustrating her.

"You'll find out when we get there." She wanted to stomp her feet and throw a tantrum at Arizona's blatant dismissal, but she noticed that she seemed deep in thought.

"_Artemis, heed my call."_

"_Athena? What's the matter?"_

"_We have a predicament, our brother and sisters have run into Mark and Addison during their mission"_

"_So they knew about each other then? Great, well I have Callie. And some information."_

"_We need to gather, I have something you'll want to see."_

"Arizona?" Callie had been waving her hand in front of her face for a while now, but she had remained unresponsive, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, just thinking, but we need to go now, hold on."

"Hold on to wha-eee" she squealed as Arizona grabbed her around the waist and blinked away.

* * *

_Callie's p.o.v – Warehouse 8: Athena's territory_

Terri and Arizona stood by the large windows as they awaited their members to all gather, Arizona had arrived with me in tow mere moments ago, and I was now sat at the long table in front of the windows, fidgeting. There was a gush of wind and the three vampires appeared down on one knee, heads bowed, with Mark and Addison in tow standing behind them.

"We have returned, Master," they said in unison.

"Callie! Are you okay? What are you doing here?" Addison rushed over to me and as I stood up to meet her, she turned me left and right to make sure I was not harmed.

"I'm fine, I was attacked, but Arizona saved me." We looked at Mark, who had yet to remove his eyes from the other vampires.

"You may raise, my family." Terri then turned to address us, "Please, take a seat," she gestured towards the table, "It seems there is a lot that needs to be addressed." She than came and sat down at the head of the table, with Arizona directly on her right and Lexie on her left. To the right of Arizona was Alex, and to Lexie's left was Teddy. We sat down on the other side of the table, with me at the head, Addison to my left and Mark to my right.

"In a sign of good faith, why don't we start first?" Terri started.

"Wait, you said you had something to show us, T?" Arizona cut in. The door suddenly opened and in walked a tall muscular blonde with three women trailing behind him.

"Ah perfect timing." Terri stood up to greet the newcomer, but it was Arizona that caught my attention. She practically jumped up and flashed into his arms.

"Tim!"

"I missed you, Ari" He held onto her tightly, and I could feel jealousy burning through my body. I turned away from the scene and focused on the three women behind him, the two stood in front were Latinas; they both had silky black hair, one had theirs in a high ponytail, with a long braid trailing from her left ear, her fringe was covering most of her right eye, and the other had hers worn uneven, short ending just under her ears on the left and long trailing past her chin on the right, with the back of her hair longer, reaching mid back. Both had full lips and smoky makeup around dark eyes, and they both had an owl ornament, one had theirs tied at the end of their braid and the other had a owl hanging from the long earring in her left ear. They were strikingly beautiful and I felt intimidated by the cold aura radiating off of them. I turned my attention to the final female and … was that…?

"_Aria?_" She looked in my direction and ran to me.

"Oh my God, Callie, are you okay?"

"Am _I _okay? What are you doing here?"

"I was attacked, and the blonde guy over there, Tim, he saved me." I looked over to Tim, who was talking to Terri; with one arm slung over Arizona's shoulders, and noticed he looked really familiar. The blonde hair, the deep blue eyes, and when he smiled I saw… Dimples! It hit me, he was just like Arizona; I wondered if they were related.

Terri noticed me staring at turned to us, "We're being rude, I apologise, let me introduce, Timothy Robbins, my left hand." He smiled and nodded before taking a seat at the table where Lexie was previously sat; she now sat to his left. "And these two are my guardians, Thalia," she pointed at the one with the braid, "and Clio," she pointed at the other one. They both took their place standing behind Terri and with that, we were now faced with an impressive team of vampires with blinding energy emanating from them.

I gulped before I sat back down. This was worse than sitting my boards.

* * *

Terri's p.o.v

I finally felt complete, now that I had my entire team together and whole again, it was empowering and I felt invigorated.

"Now, where to start?"

"The beginning usually helps, T?" came the helpful suggestion from my right.

"Of course, well a long, long time ago, the Vampire Kingdom was ruled by a vampire named Cronus. He was a very powerful vampire who had ruled for thousands of years, he had managed a peace treaty with humans, and a law that vampires were only to feed off of animals or the deceased. The humans accepted this, and often offered their herds and any bodies of the dead to us, and return we protected them. Back then, all vampires were offsprings of Cronus and his wife Rhea, and of his siblings, so our entire clan was full of pure bloods. But, like with all families, there were always the rebellious ones who decided to feed off live humans, they were killed off immediately to protect the treaty between the humans and us. However, there was one man, by the name of Silas, who didn't like the treaty at all. He believed that we were all monsters and abominations and it was his duty as a child of God to reveal the 'truth' to the world. He tricked Cronus into feeding from a live human, a woman, and tried to convince others that we had broken the treaty and should therefore be destroyed.

When the humans confronted us, the woman turned up alive and well, and Silas was killed for trying to destroy the peace. What they didn't know was that Cronus had caught onto the plan and had instead turned the woman into a vampire and thus became the very first half-breed. Even though Silas was killed, the damage had been done already, and Cronus, after he had his taste of a live feed, wanted more. He began to become reckless and started secretly taking homeless citizens to feed from, but was soon discovered by his wife. Now Cronus had three sons: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, and when they confronted their father about his actions and they were banished from the clan.

Slowly, the humans began to realise what was happening and began to attack vampires that were caught at night. The treaty was revoked and the humans no longer offered us the deceased. The vampires couldn't just live off of animal feedings, so they began feeding from humans, and in turn war started. Zeus could no longer stand to see his clan fall apart, and he wanted to return to the peace that once existed, but with Cronus at the throne, there was nothing he could do. So he gathered his brothers, other vampires and even some humans, who all wanted to same utopian world we had before, and rebelled against Cronus. The battle lasted three years, and it took the combined powers of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades to weaken Cronus, but in the end it was Rhea who came to their aid and sacrificed her life to destroy him.

As the eldest son and the leader of the rebels, Zeus was nominated as the new King, but it was too late already. The rest of the humans would no longer accept the treaty and we were pushed away from civilization, practically living underground in order to survive. The humans that fought with us eventually became what we now call 'feeders', they offered their blood and we found a way to feed without killing or turning our prey.

It really should have been our happily ever after, but Hades resented Zeus. He felt that he deserved the throne instead; he had been the one to rally the vampire soldiers whilst Zeus went to convince the humans and Poseidon to the Seers, and so he believed that without him and his vampire soldiers, we would've lost the moment war started. So he started plotting and had tried many attempts to take the throne, eventually Zeus had no choice but to banish him from our clan. He left with many other vampires and vowed to return as the rightful heir to the throne, and since then strays started appearing. We believe that the strays are products of Hades' reckless feeding, and we have spent years trying to destroy them all."

They all sat in silence as I finished the story of my ancestors, I saw that Tim and Arizona had their jaw set and fists clenched and the occupants on the other side of the table were staring at me slack jawed.

"So what does that have to do with what happened tonight? And the fact that Aria and Callie were attacked too?" Mark asked.

"I believe that Hades has made his second move." There were gasps all around the room, Tim and Arizona watched on silently, this was not news to them, they had been with me for the better part of twenty years, and they knew everything I did.

"Wh-what makes you think that?" Addison's voice was quiet, and I could tell she was afraid.

"The simple fact that Zeus has been missing for the last 12 years, and not to mention the steady increase of strays and the one Lexie and co encountered today."

"Why second move? What was his first?" Callie added.

"The disappearance of Poseidon 20 years ago." Tim answered through his clenched teeth.

The room grew silence once again, each person lost in their thoughts. I could feel the anger coming from Tim and Arizona; it was never easy hearing about the betrayal from our own. I quickly reined my own anger in, I was the leader of this team, and I couldn't afford to lose control.

"Is there anything we can do to?" Addison asked.

"Just stay out of our way, and don't attack us!" Teddy shot back.

"That's uncalled for, I'm just trying to help"

"Your help isn't needed, you're too weak." Addison shot up from her seat, eyes blazing green and hissed at Teddy. Never one to back down from a challenge, Teddy shot up from her own seat, eyes burning red and growled in return.

"What is your problem Altman?"

"I don't have a problem, I'm simply stating the facts. You can't beat me and I'm the newest to the team, hell I bet you can't even beat Lexie! And she hates the fighting! We don't have the time to train newborns, this is war, and we can't spend all our time looking out for you, because then we'll become a burden to our Masters! We'll become as useless as you are." Mark and Aria had both stood up by this point, ready to defend Addison if they were to get into a fight.

"Enough!" My voice cut through the argument and the air around the room thickened to a suffocating level. Teddy dropped down to one knee, head bowed and apologised; Addison and Mark had stumbled and fell to both their knees, gasping for breathe. In the corner of my eye I noticed that Lexie and Alex had both stiffened in fear.

"_Jesus_, what _are_ you?" Addison managed to choke out, both her and Mark felt their vampire side shivering with fear and resonating with my command, they had no choice but to answer to my call.

"What you are witnessing is the power of the Royal blood. One that rules the entire vampire clan and one that every vampire will resonate to." Thalia calmly responded.

"Every vampire huh? Why aren't you affected then?" she asked

"Simply because I am stronger than you," Addison's eyes widened and her nostrils flared in anger, "and also the fact that I grew up around the Royalties, I was there when they hit puberty and their powers were out of control, I was there when they discovered their new powers; I've been through more than you could ever imagine, _child._" I couldn't help but laugh at that, Thalia looked no older than 20, yet here she was calling the 38 year old woman a child.

"What did you mean by Royal blood?" Callie broke the intense staring between Thalia and Addison.

"It means that we are the royal heirs to the throne."

"_We_?"

"Yes, myself, Arizona and Timothy." Her eyes widened as she glanced at Arizona, who had yet to make eye contact with anything other than the desktop.

"Arizona and Timothy, better known as Artemis and Apollo are the children of Poseidon, and are Fourth and Fifth in line to the throne respectively." A gasp left her lips and I smiled wistfully, "And I am Athena, the daughter of Zeus and the Crown Princess, the direct heir to the throne."

* * *

Callie p.o.v

I couldn't believe it, Arizona was a vampire, and not just any vampire; she was a vampire _princess_ and hell Terri was the fucking _Crown Princess_ of the vampires. Talk about mind-blowing.

Terri had told us all to take a quick break to process everything before continuing and I saw Arizona head out towards the pier behind the warehouse. So whilst Addison and Mark pestered Thalia and Clio for stories, I followed Arizona. As I walked past Terri, she grabbed onto my arm.

"We weren't lying when we said Arizona lost her memories, it didn't have anything to do with her hiding her true identity from you. There was an incident regarding a stray and her when she was 16, I don't know the full details yet, but from what the Seer told me, someone purposely wiped her memories. She genuinely cares about you as the Arizona Robbins she is today, and not because of some partial memory that she may or may not recall. She told me that there's an unexplained tug that she feels towards you." She looked me dead on in the eye, "Don't hurt her." She let my arm go and walked off.

I was still reeling from the information that someone _purposely _wiped her memories. Why would anyone do that? And who the _hell_ was 'the Seer'?

I made my way out to the pier and found Arizona leaning against the railings, looking out towards the sea. She had a gloomy aura surrounding her and it broke my heart.

"Arizona"

She didn't move, nor did she attempt to acknowledge me. I moved to stand next to her and I could see that her eyes were clouded, conflicted.

"I didn't want to get you involved," she sighed, still not looking at me.

"But I already am aren't I? I know about the existence of vampires, and I have for a long time, my two best friends are vampires, and you, Arizona, you're a vampire. I would've been involved either way."

"No you wouldn't. I could have ordered Mark and Addie to keep that side away from you, I could've distanced myself from you, you never needed to know about us, and you would've never even known there were vampires in Seattle at all!" she insisted.

I turned her so she was now facing me "Would you though?" She refused to make eye contact, "Arizona, look at me." I waited, but she still didn't move, "Would you have distanced yourself from me?"

"If it kept you safe, I would do anything." She replied in a small voice.

"But _could _you? Are you standing here, right now, telling me that if, by not being near me, you could keep me away from the vampire world, you would stay away from me forever?" My heart pounded, I couldn't believe that I was going to lose her before she was even mine.

"No." she looked me right in the eye, "No." she repeated just as firmly, "I could never stay away from you Calliope," she placed a hand against my cheek and I nuzzled against it, "I would miss you too much." She then moved her hand to rest above my heart and took one of my hands to place against hers, "there's something that keeps pulling me back to you, I don't know what it is, but you make me feel calmer, you give me a sense of peace, and just being near you makes me happy." I could feel tears falling, and she raised her hand back up to my cheek to wipe away the tears. With the hand not in her grasp, I raised it to hold her hand against my cheek. "You give me serenity, joy and hope," she stepped closer to me so that we were just inches apart, "and I just want to be with you." She leaned forward and our lips met. She was soft, so very soft, and I had only one thought running through my head.

_Finally_

* * *

A.N: I'm trying to bang out as many chapters as I can because I have so many random ideas that pop up for potential future chapters, but I've got to get the middle figured out too! Hope ya'll are enjoying this story.

A.N 2: Don't worry, I'll address Callie and Aria's part in this soon. So many ideas, so little time!


	9. Chapter 9: History Lesson

A.N: I swear _I'm_ getting confused with the history, I kept having to re-read what I'd written to get the facts right, I keep changing them in my head, or at least it's playing out differently. I have different documents with the profiles of each character and their history and stuff, but my mind likes to go in it's own little direction! I'll write out a chapter, and then later decide I want things to play out differently, so I have to go back and change dialogue and stuff, but I'm sure it'll work out in the end!

* * *

Chapter 9: History Lesson

Terri p.o.v

Everyone had slowly gathered back together at the table; I saw Arizona, who had walked hand-in-hand with Callie, and smiled, and when I looked around the table, I saw the questions that covered their faces. When Arizona and Callie had taken their respective places on opposite ends of the table, I addressed the group once again.

"I'm sure that you're all interested in Callie and Aria's roles in this right?" There were nods all around.

"It all begins with your names. Calliope and Ariadne, and the history behind them." I looked straight at the sisters and they stared back in confusion. "Do you know the meaning behind your names?"

"Calliope was Homer's muse, and in Greek mythology, the inspiration behind the Odyssey and the Iliad, right?" Callie explained, and Arizona gasped, as she reached the implication behind it all. I had yet to tell anyone about the sisters, choosing instead to observe how their fates would play out, and I knew Arizona would not forgive me for it.

"Looks like Artemis has figured it out." I smiled.

"You _knew? _You knew and you didn't tell me? What would have happened if I hadn't been there when I was? She could have _died_!" Arizona slammed her fists on the table, making everyone but Tim jump in response. Behind me, I could feel Thalia and Clio tense and step forward, but I waved them off.

"I assumed that you'd figure it out when you started calling her 'Calliope'. You should have known once her full name was revealed. Our parents made sure that we were aware of the significance of our given names, isn't that right Artemis? Apollo?"

"I remembered calling her that back in high school, and you of all people should know that I don't remember my childhood," she hissed out.

"You know enough, Artemis. Enough to remember your parents being Poseidon and Aphrodite, and your twin: Apollo. But that is besides the point, you have been with me long enough to have studied up on all the significant players in our history, however _you_ were too blinded by your affection to use your brain and make the connection." It wasn't really an accusation, but it was the truth. When Arizona had come to me telling me that she remembered Callie being in her past, it wasn't much, but she'd remembered calling her 'Calliope'. She was too blinded by love towards the woman and joy over remembering another part of her past that she had completely forgotten who we were.

Arizona deflated slightly and slumped back into her chair. "You should have told me."

"I wanted to, but you were so happy, I couldn't ruin this for you. You'd been looking so long for evidence of your humanity, and when she turned up, you were overjoyed, she was living proof that you were once 'normal'. Or at least thought you were." She tensed up at this, and stole a quick glance towards Callie.

"I assume you know as well, Tim?" She narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"You can't blame him, he had been tasked with another mission, but yes. When I told him about Calliope, he'd made the connection straight away."

"Uhm, not to be rude or anything, but could you explain it to us in like, English or something? Rather than speaking in code, not all of us are on the same wavelength here." Interrupted Addison, I could tell she was getting impatient. Arizona fell back against her chair and scowled at me.

"Right, sorry. I got distracted. Anyway, Calliope _may_ be Homer's muse, but more than that, in Greek mythology, she's one of the 9 muses of Mnemosyne. Usually, it wouldn't mean much, but it just so happens to involve the first ever half-breed that existed. After Cronus turned her, she tried to return to civilization, but then the war happened and she fled to the safety of the Seers, and they bestowed upon her the name 'Mnemosyne'."

"Who are the Seers? You keep mentioning the word 'Seers', but who are they?" They all had their attention on me, captured by the small history lesson I was giving.

"The Seers are a group of vampires, blessed with the power of Sight. The original and first Seer was the sister of Cronus, she went by the name of Theia, and when she was born, she possessed the ability of foresight. She had made predictions that were always accurate, and eventually her powers developed into Thought as well. It went far beyond the usual ability of communication through thought we all possessed. She had the ability to see into your thoughts, past, present and future thoughts, and in turn she was able to influence your actions by altering your thoughts, planting memories as well as removing them.

Back when Cronus was still ruling, Theia had a small group of followers, all of whom were born with the power of sight, though obviously to a lesser degree. She trained them all in order to become aides of the King, but when the war started, she left with her students in tow for the mountains and solitary. She cut herself away from her brother because he wanted to use her power as a tool of war, and she refused to let her students become mindless slaves.

When she was in the mountains, she fell in love with Hyperion, the Shaman of the Light. He was a healer, who possessed powers that was said to be guided by the Sun itself, and together they were able to create a serum that enabled Theia and her students to survive without the need for human blood."

"So if there's a serum, why aren't all vampires using it? Wouldn't it be easier to stay alive?" Addison seemed really interested; I'm guessing the idea of feeding from human blood isn't too appealing for her.

"The serum is sacred, and only those blessed with the title 'Seer' are able to access it. The serum also works as a catalyst for their power, it activates and increases the potential of their ability, and because it was made specifically for them, who had grown up using the serum, it could be potentially toxic for other one else to try it."

"Toxic, like poisonous?" She recoiled slightly, seeing the advantage of blood pack immediately.

"Sort of. Our bodies would not be able to handle the sudden increase in power; we would overload and try to find an outlet to expel the extra power. We would become uncontrollable, but when the effect faded, we would burn away, and the damage inflicted to us both internally and externally would probably kill us. The only one's who _may_ have a chance at surviving would be those with the Royal bloodline, but no one's ever tried. No one's that stupid or desperate, and unless it was an emergency or do-or-die situation, I wouldn't suggest trying it." I could see Mark and Addison blanching at that. It made me wonder who their sire was, as they didn't seem to know much about our history.

"Anyway, Mnemosyne was not a huge fan of killing or blood shed, so she fled to the safety of the Seers and sought sanctuary with them. She was lucky that she arrived when she did, because she was still a newborn, as she had been changed only a few months, and had lived most of her life as a human, she was able to adapt to the effect of the serum without imploding or anything. She was taken under the wing of Theia herself and trained to become a Seer, although she never possessed the power of sight, she gained the power of memories and the ability to control them.

When the war happened, there was a lot of death and a lot of children were left without parents; Mnemosyne had taken in 9 orphan girls herself to raise and train; and following mythology, they were blessed with the title 'The 9 Muses'. Their names were: Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Urania, _Thalia_, _Clio, _and _Calliope._" I heard gasps spread across the room. "They were not trained to become Seers, nor were they sired, but they were strong in their own right; they were taught to read and write, taught how to survive in the wilderness, taught how to fight, and taught about vampires. However, during Hades' first rebellion over 500 years ago, they were killed when he tried to capture Mnemosyne in order for her to wipe the memories of Zeus and Poseidon and plant the ones of himself as King in the brains of the vampires. The 9 Muses were slaughtered, but there were two survivors who were found by Zeus. They were pretty much at the end of their candle, but with their last breath they prayed, and asked him to sire them so they could continue to protect their mother. He did, but Mnemosyne had disappeared by then and they spent their new life serving by Zeus' side. All that was left of the 9 muses are the two behind me: Thalia and Clio." All eyes were now on my guardians, I could feel the anger radiating off of them, so I sent an aura of calmness to them and they relaxed slightly.

* * *

"Now Ariadne, I believe your story is more connected to my family; Ariadne's coming was told of, by Theia, over 200 years ago. Ariadne was prophesied as the future bride of Dionysus, my brother." Aria whipped her head towards me, our eye's met and I could see the look of disbelief in her eyes.

"Your brother?"

"Yes, my brother, Dionysus or as I knew him as, Tobias, Toby, was killed 20 years ago, he was 16 and I was 8. He was the first-born son of Zeus and would've been the next King.

The only thing that does not makes sense, is that Calliope and Ariadne are both human. The bride of Dionysus was prophesied as a vampire and Calliope has no connection to the original Calliope or the 9 muses that existed 500 years ago. I can only presume that the coincidence in naming has caused Hades to react."

Whilst everyone processed the information, Callie seemed to come to a realisation.

"Wait, you said Arizona is a pure blood, and her parents are Poseidon and Aphrodite right?" She looked towards Arizona who nodded. "Then why do you keep talking about her 'pre-vampire' life? I thought she was born vampire, so where does this 'human' and 'normal' life fit in?"

I chuckled slightly, Callie was a pretty smart girl; no wonder Arizona was so infatuated with her. She looked at me in bemusement as I laughed.

"Sorry, it's just, you're pretty smart you know?" she blushed at the compliment, "Right, this is all just what I've heard from my father, and since he's gone missing, I only have Tim's testimony to back me up; considering Arizona's pretty useless here." Arizona huffed indignantly and murmured something along the lines of 'I'll show you useless' under her breath.

"So, Poseidon and his wife Aphrodite knew that Hades did not play fair, and he would most likely come after the children in order to get to him and Zeus, so in order to protect Tim and Ari, he sealed their powers away so they could not be sensed by the other Royals. They lived out their lives as every day humans; Poseidon did tell them stories of our ancestors, though he just said it was a 'magical bed time story' using names of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. It was pretty imaginative, since we do just happen to share the same names. They thought they were pretty normal, and it wasn't until they were 15 that it changed. They were living in New York at the time, and Tim went 'missing'." I glanced briefly to Tim, knowing that this was pretty horrific to relive, and as expected, he had withdrawn within himself and was staring blankly at the table, whilst Arizona looked on in concern. "Well, that's what they all thought anyway, the truth was, Tim had been attacked by a stray. Obviously the stray didn't know who Tim was, but he was hungry and Tim was alone and vulnerable. Tim had been going home, after a night out with some friends, and as he was cutting through the park to get home, the stray attacked him, and left him there to die. What he didn't know was that, not only did Tim not die; but his hidden bloodline had woken up, and with it, his real form was awakened too. I'm pretty sure Poseidon realised this as well, because my father, brother and I all received a 'jolt' in the middle of the night. My father later explained that a Royal had been woken, but it didn't make any sense to me back then. I was only 7 at the time, but my brother and I were tasked with the retrieval of the newly awakened Prince. It later turned out that my father was aware of what Poseidon had done, and respected his wishes, but as he was King, my father was not able to do the same and my brother and I had to be raised and groomed as the Royal heirs.

A week after Tim had been changed, my brother and I had reached New York along with Thalia and Clio, and started sensing the presence of the Royal. But it wasn't until Tim attacked me that we found him." They stared at Tim in astonishment and I grinned. "It wasn't like he knew who I was, but he was hungry and hadn't fully adapted to the sudden change. So there I was walking down the street with my guardians in the middle of the night, and suddenly he tried to tackle me, and considering I had been trained since I could walk, he wasn't very successful. Instead we had him detained and brought back to Boston, which was where we were situated at the time, and had him trained and educated.

A year later, we received the same 'jolt' we did the day Tim was bitten. We didn't have to wait long though, because the next night, when I had gone out to the forest behind my house to train, I ran into Ari here passed out on the ground. I sensed her blood and brought her back to the house. It wasn't pretty, but when she woke up, her thoughts and emotions were all over the place, and it was giving me a pretty bad headache. When Tim got home that night he recognised Arizona straight away, we spent the next few weeks telling her about their relationship, and then she was started on the same training and schooling system as us. My father, however, started to train us harder and kept pushing our limits, it was a struggle even for me, let alone a newly awakened vampire like Arizona, and he starting disappearing a lot. We later found out that on the same night we felt the sign of Arizona's awakening, Poseidon and Aphrodite had disappeared, leaving nothing but the scent of Hades behind. It got worse pretty soon, because a few months later, my brother was killed.

Since then we've been doing everything we can to take out the strays from Hades' army and trying to find the Arizona's past on the way. We tracked his trail all the way here to Seattle, and imagine my surprise when I realised that the Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Mercy West was none other than Richard Webber!" The 4 guests looked on in confusion at my exclamation, and I mentally berated myself for getting carried away and forgetting about the situation.

"Sorry, uh Richard Webber is the right hand man, advisor and loyal friend to my father Zeus, which means, yes he is also a vampire."

"No fucking way! You've got to be kidding right? How many others are there at the hospital? I mean there's already the five of you, plus me and Mark, and now the Chief, uh, ex Chief as well?" Addison's outburst shocked me briefly, it was really unexpected, and I had gotten used to the silence that reigned whilst I was talking.

"Yup, Richard is actually one of the humans that helped during the rebellion, he was a human healer and had helped take care of the feeders after we were sent underground. He got really sick though, when he was out looking for medicine, he must have gotten infected some poisonous plants, and my father couldn't let someone with as much credit as him to die, so he turned him. Now as for the hospital, I know that Hunt was sired when he took the Chief position, there was no way he wasn't going to be though, considering he had so many vampires working in the hospital, he needed to understand why we would suddenly disappear and why the blood bank needed restocking so often." At the look I got from the four opposite me, I hurried on to explain, "Oh, don't worry, he was given the choice, Richard needed to go help my father, which is one of the reasons why I joined SGMW, but I couldn't just come and take Chief, so he carefully debated and then decided Owen would take the position. He took Owen into a room in the basement and carefully explained the situation, and the choice to join us or get his memory wiped, and Owen chose to join us. Although he did request the option for his wife as well, so we grabbed Cristina Yang and gave her the same options and she seemed morbidly interested, I'm sure the first thing she said was 'does that mean I can spend the rest of eternity cracking open chests and looking at hearts?' though I'm sure the term she used was 'playing' rather than 'looking', and so Richard sired them both. We did briefly consult with a Seer before siring Cristina, but Bailey said it wouldn't do any harm, she said it would be useful to have more of us around the hospital for cover stories-"

"Wait, Bailey as in _Miranda _Bailey?" I was cut off, rather rudely if I must say, by a horrified Aria.

"Um, yes?" I didn't quite get what the commotion was about.

"God, that explains a lot, that woman has always scared me. So much fire for such a tiny woman," Mark added, whilst shivering at the thought.

"Right anyway, so Hunt, Yang, Bailey, and um, oh! Derek and his wife, Meredith too. Timothy sired them though. There was an incident when we first got to Seattle 3 years ago, and we'd all been separated, Tim had somehow found his way onto Derek's land and they saved him. Well tried to anyway, but they found out the truth when the strays followed his scent to the house and attacked Derek and Meredith. Tim ended up marking and siring them to keep them alive." I concluded.

"Jesus, it's a hospital full of freaking vampires, there are human staff too though right? Is that why you didn't seem surprised to know that we were vampires too? Did you just _assume_ because the most of the department heads were vampires that we were too?" Addison shot out question after question, and I had to take a moment to rearrange my thought to answer each one as diplomatically as possible.

"Right, first thing, yes there _are_ human employees at the hospital, secondly I _know_ that you two were human when we first met 3 years ago and thirdly, I didn't just assume, I sensed it. As part of Royalty, we have the ability to know and sense where there are other vampires, now I don't know exactly when you were sired, but I _can_ narrow it down to some time this year, a few weeks before Callie and Aria arrived if I'm not mistaken." Addison was taken aback, and stared at me blankly. I'm guessing I was right by the looks of things. "The only thing I don't know is who your sire is, and why you were changed." I inhaled deeply, breathing in their scent, "Though I will admit that your scent is familiar."

Their faces darkened immediately, and Mark's low voice carried through the room, "We can't tell you that." My team tensed up immediately.

"I accept and respect that." My team turned to me in protest, and I held a hand up, cutting any off any complaints, "But only because _I know_ your scent, and can say with absolute certainty that you are _not_ underlings of Hades." I levelled my eyes at the 2 newborns, so they could see the seriousness in my eyes and hear the warning in my voice, "but you _will_ be forthcoming with any other information I require about you and _if_ I feel that you are a threat to my team, I _will not_ hesitate to destroy you both. Is that clear?" They gulped, feeling the authority coming off my body in waves and nodded meekly.

* * *

I knew it was a lot to take it, but there were other things that needed to be addressed. I had sent Tim on a recon mission for information, and he seemed pretty excited about the results.

"Tim?" he looked at me, "did you manage to get what I asked for?"

He perked up immediately in excitement and the others watched him with great interest.

"Yeah," he turned to address the group, "Right so T sent me out to get some more information on Mnemosyne. We had Bailey look over Arizona, but not even she could break through the mental block that's been placed in her head, and we reached the conclusion that only one person can do this. As vampires, we all have the ability to wipe someone's memory, but we are limited to time. For instance, they," he gestured to Teddy, Lexie and Alex, "could wipe your memories of everything that has happened within the last day, and nothing more; as a Royal, Arizona, T and I have a stronger ability and we could probably wipe your memories from the last couple of months, maybe a year if we stretch it. But to completely erase 16 years worth of memories? There are only two people in the world that could do this. One of them is Theia, but she would have no reason to do that to her own blood, and the other, Mnemosyne. We've narrowed it down to Mnemosyne, and in the last few months have also narrowed down her location to Miami, Florida." His enthusiasm started to deflate as he revealed his recent findings.

"We-uh-we've tracked down her human alias too," he kept stealing glances between Arizona and Callie, I tilted my head, deep in thought. When I came to the realisation at what he was implying, my eyes widened and my throat constricted.

_It couldn't be! _

I looked at Callie and Aria who had their complete attention on Tim, and then to Arizona was still watching with complete interest, a look on innocence on her face.

_No… not now._

"It's… uh… She's … Her name is Lucia." A gasp left their lips as Callie and Aria stared at Tim dumbfounded. "Lucia Torres."

* * *

A.N: The truth will be revealed soon!


	10. Chapter 10: Man Down!

A.N: Many thanks to the reviewers, it makes me happy to know ya'll are so invested with the story! Also, as a side note, please let me know if there are any errors, grammatical or spelling ones, I'm beta-ing my own work, rather than getting a second person. But that's only I'm churning out these chapters pretty quickly and don't want to annoy someone to beta for me, since I expect quick results. I'm pretty fussy, but it does mean I'm quick when beta-ing for others! =]

p.s – I totally stole the idea from Naruto, it's a good team building exercise!

Right now onto some responses:

**To Guest**: Thanks for reading and in response to your review - Firstly, no idea where Ares came from, he's not in my story at all. Secondly, I'm aware that Apollo and Artemis are children of Zeus in mythology, but I had already stated in my first chapter that I was just using their names, and other minor details, i.e. Apollo and Artemis being twins and the brotherhood between Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Basically, I'm using some of their relationships, but everything else I'm making up. For the purpose of this story, disregard any knowledge you have of the Greek Deities and just use the information that's provided from the chapters please! But thanks for pointing that out, maybe I'll put in a disclaimer or something just to explain that fully.

**To nikki: **Yes, yes and yes! Teddison all the way!

**To Jessica Torres-Robbins: **Thanks for the support! You'll be disappointed to find that Callie is not Aphrodite, I'm afraid. But there are still many truths to be learned, so just hang in there!

**To Guest from Chapter 3:** Apologies for the late mention. Thanks for the support, and for defending as well, but I don't mind at all. And if someone decides to 'get stoned' and what not, it's their choice; each to their own I suppose. Let's not cause a scene now.

* * *

Chapter 10: Man Down!

Callie p.o.v

It had been a week since the night I was attacked and Arizona had saved me. I hadn't seen much of her, in between work at the hospital, work as Artemis and training Mark and Addison; it didn't leave much time for us. It was kind of a good thing as I was still reeling from the information that my _mother_ may be a half-breed vampire and she might be responsible for Arizona's loss of memory. I really didn't know how to face her at the moment. I thought back to that night.

"_Lucia Torres"_

"_No, that's not possible, you said Mnemosyne was a half-breed, an ancient one at that, but our mother is human!" Aria screamed at Tim._

"_I know it's hard to believe, but that's what all the sources say."_

_"What sources? Who the hell is trying to implicate my mother?"_

"_The Seers. We've gone to see a few, and all the signs point to her."_

_I was shocked into silence, and when I looked at Arizona, I saw that she was just as dumbfounded as I was. We made eye contact and her face began to pale, her mouth kept opening and closing, but no sound escaped, she looked away and refused to make eye contact with me again._

"_Tim, Aria, perhaps we should talk to the person in interest?" Terri cut in before the situation got out of hand, and looked towards me, "perhaps we could arrange a meeting with Mrs Torres. Callie? Could you persuade your mother to visit Seattle?" I nodded wordlessly._

"_Cal!" Aria protested from my left, "You can not be serious! They're are saying that mama caused Arizona's memory loss and was potentially responsible for her attack." I snapped out of my daze and looked at her in confusion. She narrowed her eyes at Terri, "I mean, that's what you're implying right? My mother attacked Arizona, and when she found out she was a Royal, erased her memories and left her in the forest." I hadn't thought about that, and was grateful for Aria's foresight._

"_That is not what I'm saying at all. I can assure you, that I am certain that Mnemosyne is not responsible for Arizona's attack," Terri stated confidently, I noticed Terri was careful to state 'Mnemosyne' and not 'your mother', "As a Seer, she would have been able to sense Arizona's bloodline, whether it was hidden or not. Their power of sight enables them to protect the Royals, so she couldn't have been responsible. Mnemosyne has also been one for peace and against violence, attacking Arizona would bring war to her doorstep, she wouldn't take that risk. We just want to know why she decided to erase her memories. I would never suggest that your mother was Mnemosyne if we didn't have sufficient evidence; I am not one to make wild accusations. And besides, I am curious as to how she knows of us as well." It was another point that had not occurred to me, I never questioned my mother on her knowledge of vampires; instead I'd just accepted it as part of my childhood._

_Ignoring Aria's protests, I pulled out my phone and dialled, praying that she wouldn't answer._

"_Torres Residence, how may I help you?" I recognised the voice of my housemaid on the other side, and cursed in my head._

"_Maria? It's Callie."_

"_Ms Callie! What a surprise, what can I do for you?"_

"_Is my mother home?" Please say no._

"_Of course, one moment please." Dammit._

"_Calliope?"_

"_Hi mama."_

"_Well isn't this a surprise, how's Seattle? Are you and Aria settling in well?" Her voice was light, full of love and warmth and I prayed to every deity above that she wasn't involved._

"_Everything's fine, but I was wondering if you could come for a visit? It's been a while and…" I looked towards Arizona, who had yet to speak, "there's someone I would like you to meet." I watched as she clenched her jaw and swallowed roughly._

"_Oh? You've met someone? That's wonderful! Let me check your father's schedule and we'll arrange a date to visit."_

"_Oh, I was hoping that it would just be you." I didn't want to get my father involved, it was hard enough as it was already._

"… _Is everything okay Calliope? You're not sick are you?" her voice turned lower, worry evident. _

"_No, no I just wanted your approval before introducing her to daddy." I really hoped she was buying my story, because I sure as hell wasn't. I could hear Aria huffing and puffing next to me._

"_Of course, I can come in 2 weeks? It's the earliest I can do." _

"_No, that's perfectly fine, I'll let Aria know too. We can come pick you up?"_

"_Nonsense, just tell me where to meet you and I'll make my own way."_

"_Okay… I love you mama"_

"… _I love you too Calliope, take care of yourself and look after Aria okay?"_

_We hung up and I looked at Terri, "She's coming in 2 weeks."_

* * *

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't pay attention to my surroundings and ended up walking into someone, knocking them onto the floor.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, are you okay?" I offered a hand to the blonde woman that I had knocked over. When she stood up I saw that she had the iciest blue eyes I'd ever seen, they weren't like Arizona's clear and bright ones, theirs were colder.

"I'm fine, I should have been paying attention to where I was going."

"No, it's my fault, I was lost in my thoughts."

"It doesn't matter, no harm done." She held a hand out, "I'm Erica, Erica Hahn."

"Callie Torres." I felt a shock when our hands touched. Her hands were soft and warm, and when she smiled at me, I felt butterflies. I noticed that she had dropped her coffee in our collision and offered to buy her another one.

"Well, who could resist an offer from such a beautiful woman?" I blushed, and smiled shyly. I couldn't deny it, and maybe I was going through withdrawal with lack of Arizona, but this woman was definitely attractive.

We ended up in a nearby coffee shop and I'd learned that she was a cardio surgeon at Seattle Presbyterian, she had moved to Seattle 3 years ago when the Head of department position opened up. She was charming, and funny and very flirtatious. When we finally parted 2 hours later, we had exchanged numbers and a promise to go out again. I made my way back to my apartment, smiling all the way. When I got there, my smile dropped as I noticed a blonde standing outside the lobby, she perked up when she saw me and jogged over to me, a small smile on her lips.

"Calliope"

"Arizona, how long have you been here?"

"Only for the last hour or so"

"What? It's freezing out here!" It was mid-November and the weather had predicted snow coming our way.

"I was waiting for you," her face never changed, smile on her lips all the time.

"But couldn't you have waited inside? You know, where it's slightly warmer?"

"But then I wouldn't be able to see you walking down the road." She stated simply. This woman was adorable at times; I could feel a smile spreading across my lips.

"Come upstairs, you must be freezing." I grabbed her hand and led her to the elevator to go up to the fifth floor where my shared apartment with Aria resided.

"Nah uh," she shook her head, "I can't feel it remember?" she grinned cheekily, and her dimples became visible; I really missed those dimples, Erica didn't have dimples. Wait, why am I comparing her to Erica? I must be more tired than I thought I was.

* * *

I closed the door behind me as Arizona wandered around my front room.

"Where's Aria?"

"She's on call tonight, so she'll probably be sleeping at the hospital."

"Right."

I stood in front of my door and she stood by my bookshelf, no one said a word, it was pretty awkward. She eventually sat down on the couch and watched me as I headed into the kitchen.

"Uh, do you want something to drink? I have water, beer, soda, uh, no blood though, and –"

"Calliope." I froze on the spot at her low, silky voice. "Come, sit down. We need to talk." I really hated those words; nothing good ever came out of anything starting with those words. Slowly, I shuffled over to her and sat at the edge of the couch, leaving lots of space in between us, she noticed and shifted closer, until our legs touched and I shivered at the contact.

"You've, uh, you've been avoiding me." I hated how much she could affect me with just one touch.

"No I haven't." I opened my mouth to protest, "No really, I haven't. I mean I haven't _not _been avoiding you, but I haven't purposely been avoiding you either if that makes sense?" Seeing my blank look, she continued on quickly, "I really have been busy, we all have. Splitting my time between the hospital, clearing stray nests and training Mark and Addie, I haven't really had much time to do anything else, and I'm sorry."

The sincerity in her voice and apologetic look on her face made me sigh, and seeing that I had relaxed, she smiled.

"I did have some time to think though." I tensed back up immediately, "It's not a bad kind of thinking!" I stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously, trust me okay? I know that a lot has happened and it was a lot to take in. If your mom really is Mnemosyne, I needed to think how it would affect us. So really, this time apart was a good thing, we needed some space and time. I've thought about it a lot, hell it was the only thing I really think about, it was all I could do, so instead of sleeping, I spent my nights thinking of you and Mnemosyne."

I gave her a quick once over and saw that she really did look tired, her eyes weren't as bright as they usually were and her body was more slumped, as if there was a heavy weight on her shoulders.

"I've decided what to do if it turns out that your mom really is Mnemosyne," she looked really defeated, "I've debated, tossed and turned and finally decided…"

I held my breath.

"… That I don't give a damn!" I let out my breath immediately. "This week apart has been hell, and I can't do it again. I-uh-I love you, and I want to spend every waking moment with you, the rest of the world can just shove it!"

She _loves_ me? _She _loves _me? _I was too busy with my internal celebration that I hadn't realised that I had yet to answer her. She was staring at me expectantly, but had mistaken my silence for rejection.

"I-uh-I'm going to go now, don't worry, I don't expect anything, I just thought you'd like to know…" she trailed off before heading towards the door.

Her movement snapped me out of my daze and I jumped out of my seat and grabbed her arm. I pulled her into me and crashed my lips onto hers. In the back of my mind, I felt guilty for flirting with Erica that afternoon, but a little flirting never hurt anyone right? All other thoughts flew out of my head when I felt her respond, arms wrapping tightly around my neck, mouth opening. Our tongues met and I felt a moan escape from my throat.

"I love you too" I managed to get out in between kisses. A huge smile overtook her face.

"I love you so much, Calliope," Her eyes grew to a light shade of purple and I could see her fangs peeking out slightly, but instead of feeling scared, I felt excited. She must have been able to sense that excitement, because the next thing I know, she had lifted me up and headed towards my bedroom.

God I loved this woman.

* * *

I woke up to my alarm going off, and groaned when I felt the light against my partially opened eyes. Did I not close the curtains last night? I slammed them shut again and turned to hit my alarm, only to find my movement limited by a pale arm around my waist. My naked waist. I twisted my head to see a mass of blonde curls behind me, and smiled as I recalled the night before. She groaned slightly, before briefly peeking open an eye, lazily lifting a finger and sending a bolt of energy at my alarm, which shattered to pieces on impact. I jumped slightly at the noise, and she returned her arm across my waist, snuggled in closer and let out a happy sigh of contentment.

"You owe me a new clock."

"I'd buy you a million clocks if it meant I could do this every day." Came the muffled voice, before her head popped up and a happy grin took over her face. "Good morning, Calliope."

I turned in her arms and ran a hand across her cheek, fingers lingering at her dimples, "morning Ari," we both leaned in and shared a kiss, which slowly got heated as she trailed her lips down my throat. I tilted my head back at the contact, offering her more space, but the kisses soon changed to quick pecks, before she just nuzzled her nose against me and inhaled deeply. I noticed that she'd done that a lot during our heated moments last night as well.

"Are you okay?" I ask concerned

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" she didn't move, choosing to talk into my throat instead, the vibrations made me shiver.

"Nothing, it's just, I noticed you doing this a lot last night as well," I gestured to what she was doing. She pulled her head back and blushed; it was too adorable so I leaned forward and gave her a peck on the nose.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd notice that," I arched an eyebrow and she scratched her chin shyly, clearly embarrassed, "it's just that you smell _really_ good and sometimes it's hard not to lose control when _all_ I want to do is lose myself in you, your body, your smell, your taste …" she trailed off with a groan, eyes closed tightly, and I blushed brightly at the confession.

"Oh … I-uh," I cleared my suddenly dry throat and tried again "… thanks?" What do you say to something like that?

She chuckled, "You are more than welcome Calliope." She gave me another peck before moving to leave the bed, to my disappointment. "What time is it anyway?"

"I have no idea, you destroyed my clock," I pointed to its messy remains, r.i.p dear clock. She looked at me sheepishly, "why did it go off anyway? I don't remember setting it at all, I'm not on the morning shift."

"Oh, I did that last night, after you _passed out_ on me Torres." I averted my eyes in embarrassment, "don't be embarrassed, it was super hot!" She looked around the room for her phone, "and I set it because I have be in a 10 today, and it's now," she looked down at the screen, "9am! Shit! Lucky you only live across the road from the hospital huh?"

As she scrambled to get dressed, I heard her stomach growl.

"You hungry? I could make you something to eat?" I offered, I suppose it was partially my fault she was so hungry, but I had no regrets.

She bit her lip and glanced up at me meekly, "I'm not _that_ kind of hungry, Calliope".

Not _that_ kind of… Oh!

"Sorry Ari, I don't have anything around here, maybe I should start storing some at home. You could, you know?" I gestured to my neck. She approached me quickly, face darkening and stroked the side of my face.

"No." she stated firmly, "That's not what you're for, I _love_ you, and I would _never_…" She stepped back quickly, arms crossed over her chest defensively. "Don't ever offer that again, not to me, to Terri, or Tim and definitely not anyone else. Not even if I was dying, I would never feed from you."

My heart broke at her look; I approached her and placed my arms on her shoulders. I could feel how tense she had gotten. I pulled her into me and wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I love you too; I'll never suggest something like that again. It's just, you're hungry and I don't want you to starve, I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry."

She finally relaxed and wrapped her arms around my waist, laying her head against mine.

"I know you mean well, but I don't want to hurt you. You're my girlfriend, not my feeder-"

"Girlfriend?" I cut her off, like I said, we hadn't had much time to talk, let alone discuss anything about us.

"Um, if you want? I would really like you to be, but if you don't we don't have to-" I kissed her to stop her rambling.

"Shut up, you dork. I would love to be your girlfriend. I love you."

"I love you too"

* * *

A few hours after Arizona had left for work, my phone went off and I looked to see I had received a message.

"_Free for coffee? x"_

It was from Erica; at first I was going to ignore it, but I decided there was nothing wrong with meeting up with a friend. So I replied and went to get ready.

"Erica, hey," she had arrived before me and was already sat at a table waiting. "Sorry I'm late."

"For someone as pretty as you? I'd wait forever." I blushed lightly, before ordering a large black coffee.

"Late night?" she inquired regarding my order.

"Something like that."

We spent the next hour continuing our conversation from the day before, I told her about my time in Miami and I learned that she lived in Boston before moving to Seattle. We were interrupted by the sound of my pager going off.

"Hospital?" she asked, taking a sip from her cup.

"Yeah, 911. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, we can do this another time." She stood up as I did, and leaned in for a hug. She kissed me on the cheek as I pulled back, shocking me slightly. "I'll call you." The sound of her phone ringing stopped me before I could say anything, so I just waved and ran off towards the hospital.

When I entered the hospital lobby, Mark, who had been waiting for me, grabbed me and pulled me towards the stairs.

"What are you doing Mark? I got paged, 911."

"I know, that was me." He replied gruffly.

I noticed that we were headed downstairs to the basement. My blood ran cold; the basement was specifically set up for the vampires of the hospital. Each room had been reinforced with soundproof metal wall and doors, the rooms were created to be darker than the average patient room, and there was a separate cold storage room for blood down here.

"Who was it Mark?" He didn't reply, but his face was dark and angry, "Dammit, answer me Mark!"

He lead me down a long corridor and when we reached the end, there was a room. He walked straight in without knocking and I realised that this was a waiting area, following him in I saw Addie sitting in the corner of the room curled up in the seat, sobbing.

"Addie!" I ran towards her to pull her in for a hug, but as I got closer, I noticed she was covered in blood. "Oh my god, are you okay Addie, what happened?"

The woman in my arms was shivered, tears streaming down her face; she was inconsolable. I had never seen her like this before.

"Sweetie, calm down, what happened?"

"I-i-it's not my blood. God it's my fault!" she screamed and buried her face back into my shoulder. I looked up and that's when I noticed Tim, Lexie and Alex sitting on the other side of the room. That's when it hit it me; I looked towards Mark and mouthed 'Teddy?' to which he nodded solemnly.

Shit …

* * *

Addison p.o.v – 2 hours ago

We had spent the last week training with Thalia and Clio, and I was in complete awe. Their speed and control; and the damage their power created was ridiculously unbelievable, and they weren't even at full power. They made Mark and I attack them over and over again in order to gauge our abilities, and to my absolute dismay, Teddy and Alex sat in audience. We were thrown onto our asses more times that I can count, and it was humiliating having her watch me. She'd constantly reminded of my weakness before, and I'm sure she's having the time of her life right now. I looked towards Teddy who had her head dipped in thought, and before I could take another attempt at Clio, she called me over.

"Hey Addison,"

"What?" I snapped, I was _not_ in a good mood.

"You're fast, like really fast, but your attacks are weak." I rolled my eyes at her.

"If you just called me over so you can insult me –"

"Just shut up and listen alright?" She cut me off before I could get too worked up.

"No, look, your speed works to your advantage, I mean your challenge is just to steal the bell off Clio right?" I nodded to this, curious as to what she was saying, "Sloan isn't as fast as you, but his attacks do a lot more damage. If you can distract her enough, he can land a hit to her back to throw her off balance, and you can get in quick enough to get the bell. You and Sloan aren't working together, so you're just getting in each others way."

I pondered this for a moment before nodding and sending the message to Mark mentally. To my surprise, it worked like a charm and I had the bell in my hand in no time. I turned to Teddy and smiled in thanks, maybe she wasn't so bad after all. She just grinned smugly and walked back to Alex. Ugh, I take it back; I hate her.

* * *

I'd been given my first mission to clear out a stray nest. At first I thought I'd be paired with Mark, seeing as we'd spent the last week working on our teamwork, but instead I'd been paired with Teddy Fucking Altman. I tried to protest at first, but was told that I needed an experienced hunter out with me tonight, and that Mark was going out with Alex to a different destination.

Terri explained that in the last few nests, they had noticed a change stray activity. They were no longer all brainless, hunger and blood driven, hysterical vampires anymore, there were a few that possessed more control and autonomy, which indicated they probably had a sire; a pretty strong one at that too, considering that their eyes shone a proud yellow as opposed to the dark soul-less eyes strays usually possessed.

"Why did I get stuck with _you_?" I knew I was being petty, but I _really_ didn't like her.

"Because I'm more experienced."

"Yeah, but why couldn't Terri or Arizona or Tim come with me instead? Hell, I'd even take Lexie, anyone but you!" Her eyes clouded over briefly, before she faded back into the calm and cool persona she'd adapted since we left the warehouse.

"My Masters have better things to do than babysit you, and Lexie rarely goes on these types of missions on her own. She always goes with Terri, besides, we complement each other" I scoffed at that, "we fit, because we're about the same height and the same build, you're almost as fast as I am, and your long ranged attacks are getting stronger. I'm better at close ranged attacks, so we make sense." She explained calmly, never once losing her composure.

"Why does she get to stay with Terri all the time? I mean Alex gets Arizona's time, so who do you get? I mean who _really_ is your 'Master'?" I know I was being unfair, but I wasn't used to the person standing in front of me, I was more used to the angry, brash, and impulsive version.

"Lexie has a different type of use. She goes on missions with Terri or together with me and Alex, because she's needed to memorise the situation. Her photographic memory enables her to recall the entire room as it is, and so when we're at the scene, she can tell us if there's something missing, or odd with the place. It makes it easier to hunt for clues, and when fighting, her memory allows us to break down fighting styles. Besides, Terri marked her, so it's no surprise she's always following her.

Alex had been Arizona's protégé beforehand, so they've always been close. They became only closer ever since she marked him and then sired him. Alex is like Tim to her, a brother figure that's insanely protective of her."

Her jaw clenched and I felt her anger spike slightly before calming back down so quickly I wondered if I'd imagined it.

"I was marked by Arizona, but sired by Terri; so technically, I belong to both of them. I don't have a set Master like Alex or Lexie, so I just go to whoever needs me to. And to be honest, Terri's in charge anyway, so I just go with her orders most of the time." I was taken by the amount of detail she'd just given me, I'd expected her to brush me off or something, and not give me a fucking lecture.

I didn't get a chance to reply, as we'd arrived in the old church. The irony was not lost on me. I suppose we were here to 'save the souls' of the strays, and to give them 'freedom' from their sins. I snickered at the thoughts. Teddy shushed me and I shot her a glare. I saw that her eyes were flickering red, and I couldn't help but be captured by the sight. Taking in the rest of her features, I had to admit, the red eyes didn't suit her as much as her usual hazel, that aside, she was pretty hot. I found myself mesmerised by her face and had started leaning in without knowing it.

"I can sense about 5, what do your senses tell you?" she turned to me and we found our faces inches away from each other. I froze and she tilted her head in concern. "Montgomery?"

I snapped my head towards the window we had been hiding by, and let my senses take over, eyes glowing green. "Yeah, I've got 5 too."

"Good, anything else that you can tell about them?" she whispered into my ear and I involuntarily shivered. She didn't seem to notice though, or if she did, she didn't say anything. I inhaled deeply, letting my concentration focus on the occupants of the room.

"2 of them feel different. The other 3 reek of nothing but blood, and death, but 2 of them feel different."

She nodded, "that's good, you're right. When we get in there, I want you to take out the weaker ones as quickly as you can. Leave the stronger ones to me, and when you've finished, come and join me okay?" we moved off into separate entrances, but she grabbed my arm at last minute. "Make sure they're dust before you turn your back okay?" I rolled my eyes at her, it was obvious, and I wasn't stupid. I opened my mouth, but froze at the serious look in her eyes. "I'm serious, we don't want any ambushes okay?" I nodded before moving off.

* * *

There were two men standing at the altar, and three men loitering around by the front door. I could see Teddy sneaking in the back entrance from my position crouched under the window on the left, I silently watched my targets as I awaited the signal.

"_Now" _it echoed through my head, and in a flash I had appeared behind one of the men, claws digging in and hand crushing his trachea completely, before moving off to the second stray. He came at me arms raised, ready to punch, I dodged the attack and twisted so I was behind him; summoning up my power, I froze his head with my left arm whilst my right arm swung around and shattered his skull. Following through with the movement of my arm, I twisted around to confront the third man who had just taken a swing at me with a rusty pipe. I blocked the attempt at my head with my left arm and sent a bold of energy towards his stomach, making him lose his grip on the pipe. In a flash, I had appeared behind the guy, claws at the ready, and tore five long gashes across his throat. Blood sprayed everywhere and he slowly turned to dust, taking a final look around to make sure there were no bodies, I headed towards the sounds of fighting behind me.

Teddy was locked in an intense battle between the two with bright yellow eyes, her own eyes were getting brighter and brighter, I noticed that they both carried short blades, as opposed to Teddy, who was weaponless. As she was engaged with one of them, I saw the other creep up behind her, and in a mild moment of panic, I sent a bolt of lightning that went wild. It hit the target, but had also hit Teddy, to her frustration. As I got closer to them, I noticed that Teddy had sustained some damage; she now sported a cut across her right brow and along her left cheek, she had more cuts running across her arms and thighs, and a shallow cut across the left side of her neck, but she was still going strongly.

I charged at the other man and engaged into battle with him, rusty pipe in hand. We traded blow after blow, until we were locked in a stalemate and I found myself pushed back to back with Teddy, who had one hand gripping an arm holding a blade over her head. Using all my strength I managed to push him back, and when I finally found an opening I released a blast of energy mixed with lightning at him and threw him back crashing into the pews. I was absolutely exhausted after the exchange, but I found myself tensing as the pressure around the room suddenly increased. I turned towards the man Teddy was fighting against to find him surrounded by an aura of bright yellow, it was blinding and I struggled to keep my eyes open. All of a sudden I found myself flying backwards along with Teddy. I stared at him in horror when we both landed on the floor and saw a deranged smile take over his face, we both charged again, but were sent flying back once again by a sudden eruption of energy, he laughed manically. The pressure was steadily increasing and I found it hard to breathe let alone move. I glanced at Teddy who also seemed to be struggling, less so than me, but struggling nonetheless.

"Addison" I looked at her, "_Run_."

Even against a guy like this, one who was completely kicking our asses, one who made me quiver in fear, she still had a look of complete determination on her face. A similar face to the one she has when she's locked in a difficult surgery, the same one she makes when we fight against Thalia and Clio, the same one she puts on when she is hell bent on emerging victorious. It was awe-inspiring and I was jealous as hell.

I didn't move a single muscle; I just stared at her. I looked towards the glowing man and fixated my focus on him. I summoned as much energy as I could in my weakened state, and tried to force myself to move. Towards him, away from battle and out the door, I didn't care, I just wanted to stop shaking and be able to move dammit!

"Jesus Christ, just _run_ Addie!"

He came at us as we sat there drained. _Shit, this is the end!_ A sudden increase in energy caught my attention and I saw Teddy's aura flare up heavily. _Jesus that's bright._ Her whole body was surrounded by a rich red aura, her eyes blazing a bright red, with white specks floating around, and on her chest was a small red owl, shimmering proudly. She disappeared and reappeared behind the guy with the arm holding the blade in hand. He looked at his right shoulder to see blood spewing heavily; she had torn his arm off completely in a move so fast neither the man nor I could see. She was so fast and so _fucking magnificent_, and I was strangely turned on by it.

The man howled in pain and turned to grab at Teddy. He didn't make it halfway before she had grabbed the blade from his torn arm and sliced his head clean off, blood splattering on her face. She was just so majestic.

Her aura faded away and she was left bent over, and panting, absolutely exhausted from her injuries. Seeing the pressure had disappeared, I willed my tired body into movement, and walked to her.

"Holy crap Teddy, that was just-"

"_Addie!_"

Movement behind me caught my attention and I saw that Teddy had her eyes trained on something behind me. I cursed my tired state dulling my senses; I really needed more training in fighting and stamina, by the time I had managed to turn around, Teddy had already materialized between the attacker and I, and she had a blade pierced right through her stomach. Anger flooded my veins and I let it manifest itself into flames around my hands. I forced the flames out at the enemy and he went flying backwards, blade exiting her body as he retained his strong grip and I watched as she collapsed onto the floor. Acting on pure adrenaline and anger alone, I flashed in front of the guy, picking up the discarded blade from his dead comrade along the way and impaled him to the wall behind him through his head. His cold, dead eyes stared back at me as he turned to dust. The adrenaline filtered out of my body as my mind registered the absence of danger, and I turned around to see Teddy on the floor, in a pool of her own blood, unmoving. _Shit!_

"Teddy!" I panicked and hurried back to her side, sliding to my knees beside her, I lifted her head onto my lap and she let out a groan of pain.

"I _told_ you to make sure they were fucking dust, Montgomery!" She hissed out through clenched teeth.

Was she _seriously_ scolding me? She was starting to piss me off.

She coughed and more sounds of pain escaped her lips. The guilt was eating away at me, but I couldn't stop thinking about how amazing she was. She was just as tired as I was; more so, after her sudden 'level up', not to mention she was injured and heavily bleeding, yet she still managed to react faster than I did.

"Why the hell did you jump in front of me, _Altman?_" I shot back; she confused me, sometimes she would be cold and uncaring towards me, and sometimes she would be angry and confrontational, but then there were the times where she would be warm and welcoming, helping me train and offering ice packs and coffee when I was bruised and tired from training. I mean just now she took the attack directed at me; she just jumped in front without second thoughts. Yeah, she definitely confused me.

Raising a shaky and blood covered hand up to my cheek, she stroked it gently, before declaring the softest and warmest voice I had ever heard come from her, "I couldn't let you get hurt. My heart wouldn't be able to take it if you died." Blood spewed out from her mouth as she coughed, her hand dropped from my cheek and her head lolled backwards, eyes closed.

_Shit!_ I placed both my hands over the wound on her stomach that just wouldn't stop bleeding.

"Teddy … _Teddy!"_

* * *

A.N – Erica… I'm sorry I had to do it, she's integral to the story, her flirting with Callie is all part of it!


	11. Chapter 11: Jealousy

A.N: Hullo! Yes, I was reminded that Callie and Arizona seem to be declaring love far too quickly, considering they've barely had any interaction. And I have to say, that in my excitement, I may have forgotten to really explain it. It made sense to me, but I'd totally forgotten to actually write about it, so it's explained a little in this chapter. Hopefully it makes more sense. Thanks for the support once again!

* * *

Chapter 11: Jealousy

Arizona p.o.v

Last night was one of the best nights I've had in a long time. I had spent the entire night wrapped around Calliope, and I finally felt whole again.

Was it too soon? Usually I would be the first person to agree, but with her, it felt right. I haven't told anyone yet, but when I first saw her in the meeting, something happened inside me. I think they were memories, I can't be sure, but what else could it be? I mean it was like I could physically feel what her hand felt like, how it felt to hold her, how it felt to kiss her. I could recall emotions that were stirred up when she was in the same vicinity as me, when she smiled at me, when she said my name, and the more time I spent with her, the stronger these feelings became. Whenever she was nearby, I would always feel this pull towards her, and my heart ached, I knew Terri and Tim wouldn't understand; they would say that I was falling too fast, or that it was just lust, but no one else had ever caused these kinds of reactions. I knew straight away that she was special, and I wanted her.

I was nearing the end of my 8-hour shift, leaning by the nurses' station filling in some charts, when a tingling sensation from within me broke me out of my thoughts. I could feel appearance of Terri's aura nearby and it was tinted with anger and sorrow. I saw her storming towards me, features tensed, turning the heads of nurses and patients who were watching the bizarre behaviour of the normally well-composed surgeon with interest.

"Dr Robbins, could I borrow you for a consult?" she forced out loud enough for the nurses to hear. I tilted my head curiously before nodding, and let myself be guided towards the stairs. I smiled at the nurses as we passed them, trying to hide my own confusion. She let go of my arm and stopped once we reached the stairs, and straightened her lab coat, clearing her throat. Brushing a hand down my front and smoothing away imaginary wrinkles from my own lab coat, I tried to get a read on Terri, but all I got was a solid wall of stoicism, all earlier tension expertly hidden away through years of practice.

"What's the matter T?"

"We're going to the basement."

"Why?" There was only one reason to go to the basement, but if Terri was _this_ concerned then …

I closed my eyes and focused on the tingling sensation from before that was still lingering in my chest, following it to the source and …

My eyes flew open. "_Teddy_"

The silence from her answered my question. "Where?"

"I've sent Thalia and Clio to get them, we need to go, Bailey's meeting us downstairs." Sensing no one on the stairwell, we both flashed towards the basement, my heart pounding all the way, not knowing what the fate of my best friend was.

* * *

She had just been brought in when we arrived. She was unconscious and there was blood everywhere, bleeding freely from her wounds. Mark and Lexie were holding back an absolutely hysterical Addison; I could hear her as we were approaching the room.

"Save her, you've got to save her! She can't die; you have to do something. Oh god, it's my fault!"

I studied Teddy's prone body she as steadily turned paler and paler. _Why isn't she healing?_ I glanced at Terri who was deep in thought, eyes blazing red, roaming over her body, studying her wounds, eyebrows furrowing; she obviously didn't like what she was seeing.

A noise from behind caught my attention, and I watch the short, African woman known as Miranda Bailey enter with a tray full of equipment.

"Bailey, why isn't she healing," I asked the experienced Seer.

"I don't know _yet_, give me some time to have a look." She fixated a glare at me and I ducked my head like a scolded child. I looked up from my lashes to see the woman attaching Teddy to different machines to monitor her status. She attached Teddy to a blood pack before her hands started glowing a light orange as she ran them over Teddy's wounds.

"What was used to cause the wounds?" Terri questioned the distraught redhead, eyes returning to normal.

"It-uh-it was a blade." She stuttered in response.

"What did it look like?"

"Uh, it was long, n-not as long as a n-normal sword, b-but shorter, like a-uh-a short blade." Terri narrowed her eyes at her.

"Was there anything on the blade? Anything that you can remember at all, like color, carvings, symbols?" she shook her head, "_Anything?_" she buried her face into her hands and began sobbing again. Terri sighed and glanced towards Clio, who nodded and disappeared from the room.

"God, I'm s-so sorry. I-it all happened too fast. She j-just jumped in front of me before I had time to react." She cried out from between her hands.

"How many were there?"

"5 in total, but 3 of them were really weak and I took them out easily. There were two who were armed," Addison had calmed down significantly by now, "I went to help Teddy and had knocked one of them away, but the other guy suddenly flared up and went crazy. Teddy-uh-she did something similar and had taken him out really quick, but we didn't notice that the guy I'd knocked away wasn't dead. He-uh-he came at us, and I didn't sense him until it was too late, we were both already exhausted. I'd turned around, but Teddy had suddenly appeared in front of me and-and…." She trailed off as tears started falling again, "it went straight through her!"

The room fell into a tense silence that was quickly broken by a quiet _"Shit"_, from Bailey as the machines went wild and Teddy started convulsing.

"What's happening Bailey?"

…

"Talk to me Bailey!" I demanded after she ignored me the first time around. We were all panicking slightly as we'd never encountered anything like this before. She ended up having to sedate Teddy, using the specialised injections created specifically for us.

"_Princess_" her tone was ice cold and it made me wince, "the patient is my priority right now, so if you aren't going to be useful, then _get out_!" Did I ever mention that she was a scary lady?

"Her body is rejecting the blood we're giving her," she finally stated as she changed the blood pack, "I'm going to try giving her a different type." It didn't help as she started convulsing again; looking even paler than before, and blood started leaking from her mouth.

"Teddy!" I rushed to her side.

"It's not working, she just keeps rejecting the blood. I've never seen this before. She needs to feed, or she's going to die." Even Bailey sounded puzzled, and this woman was one of the best Seers and strongest Healers we'd ever met, having been trained by Theia, and then Richard.

"Dammit, hold on Teddy!" No, she couldn't die, there had to be something I could do. I looked around the room at Addison who had tears streaming down her face, mouth and eyes wide open; to Mark, who had his jaw clenched tightly; to Lexie, who had her mouth pursed into a straight line, eyes watering; to Thalia, who stood by the doorway, leaning against the frame staring indifferently at the situation. My gaze finally landed on Terri, who had approached and sat on the bed.

"We'll make her then." She stated resolutely. Before I could even ask, her eyes turned bright red, "_Teddy_", he voice seemed to echo around the room; Teddy remained unresponsive, but the symbol on her chest from where she had received my mark started glowing. I noticed something different about it; there was something else there. It wasn't very big, but in the centre of the reverse moon of the Artemis mark, was a small owl, as if it was just sitting on the lower curve of the moon. Then it hit me, _the mark of the sire_. I was the one to mark Teddy, but Terri was the one to sire her, so she received both of our marks. At least it explained why Terri was the one using her _power of command_ over 'my pet'.

"_Theodora Altman," _Teddy's eyes shot open, eyes red. It was clouded and dull, like Teddy wasn't even aware of her actions. "_Get up,_"she sat up on command, coming face to face with Terri, who then made a cut on her neck using her claws, letting the blood run. "_Feed._" Teddy latched onto her neck, and I looked away as her fangs dug in, gasps coming from around me as Teddy slowly fed from the _Crown Princess._

I felt another presence and turned to see Tim standing in the doorway with Alex, both with anger radiating off of them in waves.

"Take Addison out of here," I commanded Alex, "Mark, call Calliope, Addison's going to need her." I looked towards my brother, "Tim, can you watch over them outside?" He nodded, and one by one, they all filed out to the waiting room.

Turning back, I caught the look of sadness on Bailey's face as she watched Teddy feed, and I knew she felt guilty for needing the Crown Princess to give her blood, but more so than that, I knew she felt guilty for not being able to do anything else for her. The only thing that we could do now was hope and pray that Terri's blood would be enough to keep Teddy alive. We just had to wait.

* * *

When I entered the waiting room, I immediately sensed Calliope's presence; she was sitting with Addison's head in her lap, sound asleep. Mark was next to her, with Lexie's head on his shoulder, one arm slung around her, and the other holding her hand tightly; they were both asleep. I arched my brow at this; _interesting, when did that happen? _Tim and Thalia had disappeared, and Alex was slouched down in his chair sleeping. Calliope was the first to notice me, I shot her a reassuring smile and she gently woke Addison. She shot up from her seat when she saw me, waking the others in the process.

"Oh god, Arizona, how is she?"

"She's stable." She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"What happened? Why did was her body rejecting the blood? Why wasn't she healing?" she shot question after question at me, and in my tired state, it was giving me a headache. Callie must have noticed, because she pulled Addison to sit back down.

"Calm down Addie, give her some space to breathe." I shot her a grateful smile and tried to answer Addison's questions.

"We don't know what happened, we've never seen something like this before. I'd really like to get a look at the weapon, it would probably give us some more answers." Addison opened her mouth, but I cut her off, knowing what she was going to say. "Terri already sent Clio to the church, but she said there wasn't a single trace of blood or dust left. The blades had been taken away. It as like someone had cleaned up after you left."

"But that doesn't make sense. They were still there when Thalia and Clio came to get us."

"I know, that's what Clio said too, but when she went back, there was nothing left. The only thing she could sense was …" I trailed off, not wanting to alarm them more than I already had.

"Ari," Callie's soft voice came through, "What's the matter? What did she find?" She looked at me in concern. I inhaled deeply, before looking her dead in the eye.

"_Hades._"

The all tensed up at the name and I'm not surprised. I had the same reaction when Clio told me earlier on. We knew Hades was in the city, but there hadn't been any activity directly from him yet. It was always strays and his lackeys, but it seemed that he had finally made an appearance.

"Where's Tim?" I asked Alex.

"Clio came in and he ran off with her and Thalia, said something about following a lead, I'm guessing it's because of … _him._"

I nodded, "Right, well you should probably go get some rest." There were protests all around. "No, I'm going to stay here with Terri to look after Teddy, we need to be available in case she needs us. She's unconscious now, and it doesn't look like she'll be awake any time soon. So just, go. We'll call if anything happens."

As they left, Callie cautiously approached me.

"Ari, you look so tired." She brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and trailed her fingers across my eyebrows and down my cheek. I fell into her arms and she held onto me tightly.

"I am, God, Teddy scared me in there. I thought she was going to die." She stroked the back of my head and we started to sway gently.

"Sh, it's okay now, she's okay now. Is there anything I can do for you?"

I looked up into wide brown eyes full of love and kissed her gently, returning my head to her chest quickly, breathing in her smell.

"This is helping a lot," I felt her chest vibrate as she chuckled slightly. Taking one last breath, I straightened back up, "you should go home, take care of Addie maybe."

"Are you coming with me?" I really wanted to. There was nothing more I wanted than to lose myself in her, but I couldn't, so I shook my head.

"I can't, I have to stay here, I can't leave Teddy."

"It's okay, I understand. Call me if you need me okay? Any time, for anything. Just call me."

I nodded and with one last kiss to my forehead, she left the room. I took a moment to straighten out my thoughts and feelings before heading back to Teddy.

* * *

Callie p.o.v

It had been 3 days, and Teddy had yet to wake up. Arizona and Terri were taking shifts just sitting by her bedside waiting. I tried to visit as much as I could, but the hospital had been really busy and even Aria and Alex were working over time to try and cover for them. It broke my heart every time I walked into the room to see the strong woman so unresponsive and my energetic girlfriend practically withering away in the chair. Cristina Yang had been doing an amazing job holding up cardio whilst their leader was down, but I could tell it was wearing her down and even though the surly woman would never admit it, she missed Teddy. Addison had buried herself into her work and was pretty much ignoring the world; she'd spent all her lunches in the waiting room downstairs, but never actually entering Teddy's room. I knew she still felt guilty and I hated that I couldn't do anything for her.

I was just leaving the hospital when my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Hey there pretty girl."_ A smooth voice drifted through the phone and I smiled.

"Erica, how are you?"

"_I'm alright, but I do find myself in a predicament." _

"Oh, and what's that?" I asked concerned

"_My date cancelled on me, so now I'm at home, with way too much food. Could I possibly interest a certain ortho surgeon to come join me for dinner?"_ she asked with an exaggerated sweetness in her voice, I'm sure if I could see her, she would be batting her eyelashes at me. I laughed at the image in my head.

I thought about it for a second, Arizona was staying with Teddy tonight and Aria was working, so I was on my own anyway. I readily agreed and after she messaged me her address, I set off for her house.

* * *

"So your date cancelled huh?" I asked after swallowing a mouthful of chicken. I'd turned up to the apartment to Erica and a lot of Chinese, "were you expecting more than one person to turn up? Because you've got enough to feed an army here."

"I just like to be prepared." She laughed, "So, how does a gorgeous, successful surgeon like yourself find herself alone and readily available for dinner?"

"My girlfriend had to stay to look after a patient and my sister's on call tonight, so your offer of free food reeled me in." I watched as her smile dropped slightly.

"Girlfriend?"

"Yes, girlfriend. Problem?" she sat back against the couch nonchalantly and took a sip from her glass.

"She's a doctor then?"

"Yeah, Head of Peds, Arizona Robbins," I saw something swirling in her eyes, but it was gone as quick as it had appeared. "D-uh-do you know her?"

"Heard of her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a bit like me," she smiled at me suggestively, but seeing that I wasn't rising to the bait, continued "heard she's good with her kids, great hands, great surgeon."

"She's amazing" I gushed dreamily; I caught myself before I could embarrass myself anymore and stood to leave. "It's getting pretty late, I should head home; early shift tomorrow and all. Thanks for the food Erica."

She moved in front of me as I was heading to the door. "The pleasure's all mine pretty girl." Then before I knew it, she'd kissed me!

I pushed her back immediately, shocked, and ran out the door behind her.

* * *

Erica p.o.v

I smirked as the door slammed behind me. _Well that was fun._

I heard my phone ring and went to pick it up without looking at the screen.

"Hanh."

"_Ah Erica, my darling, I have a job for you."_ A playful voice came from the other side.

"Can't I choose this time? The ones you pick are always so disgusting. It makes me want to vomit." I snarled.

"_Oh I'm _sure_ you'll like this one. She's young, athletic and very cute."_

"Oh, a woman this time?"

"_Of course, only the best for you my darling. Now, be a good girl will you?"_

"Of course, _my lord_" I drawled sarcastically.

I noticed a black leather jacket on the couch that didn't belong to me, picking it up to my nose, and I inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent, before dropping it back down and leaving for my 'mission'.

* * *

Callie p.o.v

After I left Erica's last night, I headed straight for the hospital looking for Arizona. When I walked into Teddy's room I noticed that it was empty, I'd turned around and almost walked into Bailey, who told me that she'd sent Arizona to get some sleep in the room down the hall. I'd hurried in the direction I was given and walked in to find her curled up on the bed; blonde curls spread across the pillow, face slack with a childlike innocence I hadn't seen since Teddy was hospitalized and crawled in behind her.

She froze immediately, "Calliope?" voice heavy with sleep.

"Yeah its me baby, go back to sleep" I wrapped my hands around her waist and she turned towards me.

"Mmkay" she snuggled in and was back asleep in seconds.

I smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. _I can't believe Erica kissed me._ Looking down at the blonde angel that fit perfectly in my arms, it felt like high school all over again. _She feels exactly the same as she did back then. _I decided that I wasn't going to tell her about what happened with Erica. I'd finally found her after 20 years and I wasn't going to let her go, not for anyone or anything, nothing was worth it. _Nothing is worth ruining this over_

* * *

I woke up feeling eyes watching me and tensed before remembering where I was. I felt soft lips on my cheek before a soft voice whispered, "Morning Calliope."

"Mmm, morning. I've missed waking up with you." It had only been 3 days, but I still missed her.

My stomach rumbled and I heard a soft laugh before she moved out of my arms.

"Hey, where are you going?" I protested and opened my eyes to see her stretching at the end of the bed. Her shirt lifted up, revealing soft silky skin that captured my attention.

"Calliope." I snapped my head up to meet her eyes, seeing amusement reflected in the deep blue.

"Huh? What?"

"I said you need food, so get up, let's go eat."

I groaned and reluctantly got up from the warm cocoon of the bed and grabbed onto her offered hand, bumping into Alex and inviting him to grab some fresh air with us on the way. We ended up sitting out on top of the little hill that overlooked Seattle near the hospital, armed with food and coffee from a nearby little deli. I was contently settled next to Arizona, snuggling in for warmth whilst she talked to him about cases she'd missed whilst taking care of Teddy, when a voice disturbed our serenity.

"Hey stranger," I turned to see Erica standing a few feet away with a jacket in her arms. Arizona shot up straight away, body tensed, and growled at her. I quickly scrambled to my feet and grabbed her arm.

"Ari-" her eyes were burning purple and I recoiled at the unexpected sight, I felt Alex come up next to us body just as tense as Arizona's and eyes equally purple.

"_Hades_" he hissed out and I stared at Erica in shock.

She chuckled and held up her arms in an act of submission. "Easy now," I kept my arm on Arizona, not trusting her to not lunge at Erica. "I'm not here for you, _Princess_." She looked at me and held the jacket out. "Just wanted to return something to you pretty girl, you left it at my house last night."

I paled at her sentence, glancing at Arizona to see her jaw clenched, and at Alex who was watching me questioningly. _Shit._ I held out a shaking hand to take the jacket back.

"T-thanks, Erica." I stuttered out, the tension between the two blondes was alarming.

"Don't worry about it. Any excuse to see a pretty girl. I had a lot of fun last night." She threw me a wink and walked away.

"Why were you at her house last night Callie?" the tone of Arizona's voice took me by surprise. _She never calls me 'Callie'._

"It's not what you think!" I hurried to explain, stealing a glance at Alex who was standing behind Arizona defensively, "We're just friends!" She arched her eyebrow. _Shit, like that was any better. Come on Torres. _"We had dinner last night, you were busy and Aria wasn't home. She called me as I was heading out and said her date had cancelled on her so she had some extra food. She's a surgeon at Seattle Pres, and we've had coffee a few times." She relaxed slightly.

"And the jacket?"

"I must have forgotten about it. I'd rushed out of the house after she kissed me …" _shit!_

"She _kissed_ you?" the anger in her voice shook me; her eyes were still burning brightly.

"No, no! It's not like that. I didn't know she was going to do it. I was headed to the door and then she was in front of me, the next thing I know she's kissing me. But I pushed her off straight away and ran out of the house. Baby, you have to believe me. I didn't want it. I don't want her. I love _you_ Ari!" I was pleading by now; I couldn't believe what was happening. I could feel tears gathering in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

She sighed and her eyes returned to her gentle blue, Alex relaxed his defensive posture behind her and walked off to give us some privacy.

"Callie, Calliope, calm down. I believe you." I looked at her in disbelief, she was so angry just seconds ago, there was no way I believed her. She held a hand up and placed it against my chest. "I can feel it, _hear_ it. I believe you and more so than that, I _trust_ you okay?" The tears poured down my face in relief and she pulled me in for a hug. When she pulled back, she still had a serious look on her face.

"I don't want you near her anymore okay? You can have friends, just, not her. If she calls you, texts you, anything, you just ignore it okay? More importantly, don't _ever_ go see her alone, do you understand?" I nodded, Arizona would never take my safety lightly, and I trusted her with my life.

She looked around for Alex, and as he came back to us, I could see he still had a aura of resentment at me for causing Arizona's distress.

"Did you know she was a vampire?" he asked gruffly.

"What? No! I knew her only as the cardio surgeon from Seattle Pres." I defended; I really had no idea, not until today at least. I glanced curiously at Arizona who was silent, deep in thought; her reaction really shocked me, she was usually more composed, but just now, that was frantic. It was like she'd lost control around Erica. I waved it off, thinking it was because the appearance of another vampire mixed with protectiveness with a little jealousy thrown in.

"What was that about anyway? You said she was a vampire? What was the 'Hades' part about?"

He contemplated this for a while, stealing a quick glance at Arizona, who was still silent, and simply stated: "She smells like Hades."

"Erica…works for H-Hades?" _Holy mother..._

"Let's go" Arizona's sudden intrusion made me jump, her voice left no room for argument, her eyes softened when she looked at me. "Your mother is coming in 2 days, we don't have time for this."

_Shit, my mother…_


	12. Chapter 12: Conflict

A.N: God, _I'm_ excited about this chapter and the next one!

* * *

Chapter 12: Conflict

Tim p.o.v

Lucia Torres was supposed to be arriving later; we were all congregated into one of the conference rooms in the basement and the energy around the room was buzzing. Callie and Arizona were huddled together in their little love bubble, something must have happened, because they seemed to be more clingy than usual. Aria was with Addison, chattering excitedly about her mother's arrival, choosing to completely ignore the real reason she was coming. I saw Alex enter and sit next to Arizona, studiously ignoring Callie, choosing instead to stare across the room at Mark and Lexie who were sitting suspiciously close. I narrowed my eyes and chose my targets.

"So…" I loudly exclaimed, drawing all eyes on me, "Lexie, you and Mark huh? When did _that_ happen?" She turned bright red, right to the tips of her ears and I saw Mark dart his eyes around the room, before grinning proudly.

"I've been trying to get her since she came to the hospital, and she'd been trying just as hard to ignore me. She started avoiding me completely 2 years ago and I guess I didn't understand until recently. So I doubled my efforts and finally got her to agree to go on a date with me a week ago, and the rest is history."

I was insanely jealous of the man. Not because of Lexie though, I mean I do love her, but in the same way as Arizona. She's like a little sister to me and I'm the crazy big brother who'll never approve of your partners. I was jealous of his confidence, he knew want he wanted and he went for it, and I couldn't do that. I had bigger problems on my hands, and my love life took a back seat. At first my life was centered around finding Arizona; then it became training and education, and now it's all about finding my parents and defeating Hades. I didn't have the time for relationships, no matter how much I loved a person. I glanced towards Thalia leaning against the back wall. _I didn't have the choice._

Arizona was different though, she had found love when she was younger, and she would always have Terri to back her up, so she had less to worry about. At first I had resented her, she had carried on with a carefree attitude, facing everything head on, and she had gotten back the love of her life from before, and Terri would pretty much let her get away with anything. She had been tough on me, pushing me harder than anyone else, she was stricter with me, she gave me a lot more to do, always kept me under strict surveillance, she had never given me the choice to choose anything. When we first came to Seattle, both her and Arizona had entered SGMW without any problems because of their qualifications, but me? She had _ordered_ me to apply to Seattle PD, used _her_ connections to get me into the detective position and I had no choice but to follow. I was to always follow her and Arizona could come and go as she pleased; I hated it. But in my heart, I knew the reason why.

She used to be a lot like Arizona, Zeus had trained her hard, but in the end, she had more slack than her brother and could get away with murder, literally. Toby loved her and gave her everything she wanted, everything that he couldn't have, and gave her the childhood he never had; the life _he _wanted. When Toby died, a heavy burden had been placed onto her. She was forced into the Crown position, and her entire life had changed overnight. Zeus became tougher, harsher, and in the process, she had to harden her heart and give away her freedom; she was only 8. There was no doubt that Terri loved Arizona and I, she would do anything to protect us; she would die for us, and if it ever came to that, the next in line to the throne would fall to the eldest child of Poseidon: me.

I knew that she had been training me to take over the responsibility of the Crown if she ever died, there's no forgiveness as the Crown, each movement and action you make is always watched and judged. You have to think about the greater good, you can't just change laws for one individual or for your own gain; the fate of the entire clan falls into your hands. I know that, but when I was younger, I didn't take it that way and had caused Terri a lot of grief; I'd hurt her a lot with my words and actions, but she had always forgiven me. There was one time, when I was 18, where my actions had brutal consequences, but she had taken the full force of punishment, arguing that we were under her protection and as the Crown and she would take full responsibility. My heart still tightens at the memory of what they'd did to the 10 year old girl; there was no remorse, and Zeus had not even batted an eye at what happened. It made me respect her all the more.

I looked at Lexie staring up at Mark lovingly and smiled, even if I couldn't have my happy ending, it didn't mean I couldn't be happy for others.

"You _do_ know what that means right, Mark?" I stated in my most serious voice, "As her 'older brother' I reserve the right to kick your ass if you hurt her. And trust me, I won't be gentle." I let my eyes grow purple to reinforce my 'threat'.

He gulped harshly, "yeah, but don't worry about it, I swear I won't hurt her. And even _if_ I did, I'm sure she'd kick my ass herself. I've seen her fight, and don't even get me started on that power up thing she does, it's _scary_" he admitted, embarrassed at the idea that Lexie could easily beat him.

"What's that about anyway?" an interested Addison added in. "I've seen Teddy do it too, it's crazy powerful, but what is it? Can you teach that to us?" she gestured between her and Mark.

"Ah, probably not." She looked disappointed. "Sorry, but it's a unique power of the Royal bloodline."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like a seal. The mark that appears after we sire you is one that proves you 'belong' to us, and it stops you from turning into a stray. Most vampires mark their 'pets' through sharing blood, but it's basically a mark of ownership for them. It's different with the Royals though, if we mark you after siring you, then it acts as a seal that hides away power. It's called the 'Power of the Mark', or as we call it now the 'Seal'. I'm sure you've noticed that Terri, Arizona and I are a lot stronger than you all, and our powers are more advanced?" There were nods all around, "Well, as our 'pets' you gain access to those powers, sort of. It's not as extreme; and it's kind of like what you said Mark, a 'power up'. So basically, unless you've been sired by a Royal, you don't have access to the Seal."

"What about the strays we've been encountering then? They have the extra power, but we haven't noticed any Seals on them." Addison asked darkly, recalling her last encounter with a 'powered up' stray.

"That's actually one of the reasons we split you and Mark up, you needed a partner with a Seal in case you bumped into one of them. It's not that they don't have Seals; it's just a matter of the Seal being placed in a hidden area. Terri, Arizona and I are proud of our family and the ones we induct into it, so we place our Seals in easily noticeable areas, i.e. your chest. We have nothing to hide and we want you to be able to proudly stand in front of other vampires and represent your sire. So I don't know why anyone would choose to hide the Seal. However, judging by their aura, we can tell you that it's from Hades' clan, so most likely Hades himself, or his offspring have been marking these vampires."

As they processed the information, I felt a familiar presence appear and quickly, I took my place at the table, just as Terri and Clio entered the room. Everyone stood to attention and took up their places at the table, with Terri at the head, Arizona and I on her right and left respectively, Lexie to my left, Alex to Arizona's right, and everyone else on the other end facing us. _Just like that night at the warehouse_. Thalia and Clio took up their usual places standing behind Terri.

"How's Teddy doing?" I asked.

"She's showing no signs of improvement, _but_ she's also showing no signs of deterioration." Sighs of relief could be heard. She looked towards Callie and Aria, "Your mother will be arriving soon, yes?"

Callie looked at the clock on the wall and nodded in agreement, "she's meeting us outside the hospital in an hour, and we were planning on giving her a quick tour before bringing her down here."

Terri turned her attention to me, and I took the floor.

"Right, so as planned, Lucia Torres will be brought into this conference room, at that time you are _not_ to make any movements without orders" I gestured at Lexie and Alex, "this applies to you too Mark, Addison. We may not be your sires, but you are part of our group now, and even if we weren't Royalty, out of respect, you take orders from Terri, understand?" They all nodded. "Right, we're not making any accusation or anything, but _if_ it turns out that she is in fact Mnemosyne, then we will be having a civilised conversation. We want try to figure out the truth behind Arizona's amnesia and Ari, try not to be too impulsive okay? I'm sure she wasn't trying to hurt you and that she has justifiable reasons."

* * *

General p.o.v

In front of the hospital, stood a tall Latina, slim, with long silky black hair tied into a low ponytail, she wore a black, form fitting suit with a light green shirt, deep brown eyes sparkling, looking not a day over 30.

"Mama!" She turned around towards the voice to see two women walking towards her from the hospital entrance.

"Calliope, Ariadne, my darlings, I've missed you so much." They gathered into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're here mama, how was the flight?" asked Aria.

"Long, but the perks of owning a private jet outweighs the cons of the long flight. Now Calliope," she turned to her eldest, "Where is this mystery woman you wanted me to meet?"

Callie smiled in return, "Mama, she's busy, she's a doctor at this hospital. We wanted to take show you where we worked quickly, hopefully she'll be free by the time we've finished."

"Lead the way my darlings."

As they turned towards the entrance, a phone went off.

"Torres"

"_Hey, it's me"_

"Erica?" Callie froze at her voice, Arizona had warned her against associating with the vampire from Hades' clan.

"_Can we talk?"_

"I don't think that's a good idea Erica."

"_Please, its important." _She pleaded, and Callie was torn. She'd promised Arizona, but Erica sounded serious, and Erica had bought no danger to her, so there would be no harm in one visit. Right?

"Where are you?"

"_I'm actually near the hospital, the exact spot I met your girlfriend."_

"I'll be there in 5 minutes."

Callie turned to her mother and sister who were both looking at her questioningly.

"Sorry mama, I have to do something, it's important, I'll be right back. Aria? Can you get mama started on that tour? I shouldn't be gone for too long." She gestured for her sister to come closer and whispered into her ear, "If I'm not back in 10 minutes, just take her to the basement and get started okay? I don't wanna delay things." To which her sister nodded, and they parted ways.

* * *

She approached Erica with apprehension, unclear of her plans and distrusting the vampire.

"Callie, you came." She stated softly.

"What do you want Erica?"

"I just want to help you." Callie scoffed at the idea.

"Don't lie, I know who you are. You work for Hades don't you?

"Hades isn't the bad guy here, he wants the throne to create a better place for vampires and humans alike"

"I don't believe you, Arizona and Terri has told me about Hades' work"

"But you've only heard their side, it's two against one, their word against mine, I would never win. I bet they told you that he rebelled against Zeus and Poseidon after they took the throne?" Callie nodded, recalling what she had been told. "And that he's responsible for Poseidon's disappearance?" Another nod, "I bet they've even told you that Hades wants to plant ideas into other vampires that he's the real King?" She got another nod and sighed loudly.

"See? That's what they _want_ you to believe. Hades isn't the bad guy, he was banished from his clan because he tried to take down Zeus, yes it's true, but not for the reasons you think. Zeus was a tyrant, he was a lot worse than his father before him, and when Hades tried to reason with him, he banished his own brother from the clan. The vampires weren't happy with Zeus as King, and wanted Hades instead, but Zeus had fake memories planted into their heads of their King being a nice and graceful King, so they all abandoned Hades. Even Poseidon was tricked, but he discovered the truth 20 years ago and came to us for help. Zeus must have found out because he disappeared right after we had met with him."

Callie was confused, she didn't know what to believe; _who_ to believe.

"But Arizona said-"

"You can't trust her"

"What, why?" She trusted Arizona above anything else, even if Callie was conflicted about Hades and Terri, she would still trust Arizona with her life.

"She's lost her memories right?"

"What? How did you know that?" Callie didn't think that it would be known to anyone outside of the group in the basement.

"It's Athena's doing, her and her father. They forced Mnemosyne to erase her memories, and then they 'saved' her so she would help them"

Callie could feel the doubt start to creep in, it did make sense, Terri seemed to be the mastermind behind everything, and everyone followed her orders. Arizona blindly followed Terri because she was the one to save her, and because Tim was following her. But what if Terri had memories planted in Tim too?

"Look, you just can't trust them okay? Your mother's in town right?"

"How did you know that?"

"And I bet it was Athena's idea?" Callie nodded dumbfounded; Erica seemed to know a lot about everything, was she telling the truth? Was Terri really the bad guy here?

"Then she's probably in danger too."

"Why? She doesn't even know my mother."

"But your mother knows of them right? It's Athena you really need to be aware of, she's really clever, and knows how to twist the truth, if she's brought your mother into the game then she's probably in danger. If you're not careful your mother will probably die at their hands."

"You're lying!" Callie couldn't believe what she was hearing, if anything happened to her mother then it would be her fault. She was the one who convinced her mother to come. No, she refused to believe it.

"Here, take this." Erica held out a short, sheathed blade, it was golden and had three jewels encrusted on the hilt: white, black and blue.

"What is it?" Callie ran her fingers over the jewels, mesmerised by the design of the blade; it was stunning.

"The blade of Cronus, it'll protect you, the jewels represent his sons, white for Zeus, black for Hades and blue for Poseidon."

"Why are you giving it to me?" Callie gripped blade tightly and hugged it to her chest.

Erica shrugged, "Maybe because I genuinely like you. Just, be careful okay?"

Callie looked at her watch and saw that she'd spent 20 minutes talking with Erica already and hurried back to the hospital.

Erica watched as Callie disappeared further and further away from her, an evil smirk on her face. She pulled out her phone and sent a message.

"_It's done."_

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

When the knock on the door came, I was alarmed to see that I couldn't sense Calliope's presence. _Where was she?_ The door opened and in walked Aria and another woman I assumed to be Lucia Torres.

"Lucia Torres, I presume?" Terri asked.

"I've been expecting your summons, _my lord_," she bowed her head in a sign of respect, "_your Royal Highness, Crown Princess, Athena."_ She raised her head and her eyes were sparkling green. I heard a gasp escape Aria's mouth.

"M…_Mother?_" The exclamation was not from Aria, but instead, from Thalia who had just entered the room with Clio. They both froze at the door staring in shock at Lucia. Lucia turned around and a happy laugh burst from her,

"Oh my dears; come here! Let me look at you. You've grown so much." She gathered them both into a strong hug, a hug that they had been waiting over 500 years for.

"Oh god, mother, we thought you were dead! What happened?" Clio cried.

"I'm sorry, I knew that you had been found by Zeus, and I had been told of your potential, you had your own destiny to live out, so I left you in the capable hands of my lord, the King."

"_Mnemosyne_" Terri's voice cut their reunion short, as Lucia turned to her immediately. "I thought I'd recognised your aura, I couldn't be sure, not until I finally met you. You were responsible for these two here weren't you?" She gestured towards Mark and Addie who had had their heads ducked since Lucia arrived.

"Yes, my lord. I needed them to look after Calliope and Aria for me." I tilted my head curiously, _why would they need protecting?_ I looked towards Tim and saw he had the same look of confusion.

"A story for another time, perhaps. You know why I've summoned you here don't you?"

"Of course, it has to do with Artemis." She stated with absolute certainty.

"Perhaps you could enlighten us then?"

"Of course, but I would need to start at the beginning." She took a seat at the table and began.

* * *

"I first met Zeus and Poseidon over 800 years ago. When I first awakened as a vampire, I had no idea what to do; I was frantic and confused and so very scared. They approached me and helped me adapt to my new life. They taught me so much, and even introduced me to Theia. I had studied under her for a little while before returning to the humans. It was a ridiculous idea really, but I had no choice, we had to keep up the ruse that I was still human and Cronus had not fed from me. During my time with the humans, Poseidon frequented my home and always came bearing gifts to help me hide my vampire side. We slowly developed strong feelings for one another; feelings that we had agreed were completely platonic, and I became his most trusted confidante.

We were separated during the war when I had fled to Theia for sanctuary, but I had never once stopped praying for his safety. And it wasn't until about 30 years ago that we'd finally met up again. I had just moved to Los Angeles, and sensed a familiar aura floating around. One night I finally decided to trace the aura and found myself outside military owned barracks. I thought I had been mistaken, but I heard a noise and when I turned around, imagine my shock then I found myself face to face with someone I had not seen in over 500 years!

We caught up and I learned that he had joined the US Marine Corps, and had been with them for the last 10 years. He said was getting discharged soon because people tend to get suspicious when your Colonel doesn't seem to age even after 10 years, but more than that, he told me he was getting married. He introduced me to his fiancée, Barbara, and I was amazed to learn that she was another pure blood named Aphrodite, that they had met during the war. She was working as a nurse and had helped him when he had gotten injured. We had spent a lot of time together afterwards and Barbara and I practically became sisters. Eventually, I met my husband, Carlos; and when we finally told him of our real identities, the four of us became inseparable.

When Barbara fell pregnant with twins, she had asked me to become godmother, and I was absolutely overjoyed. But I started having visions of destruction and death, and when I confronted Theia about them, she told me told me that this was my destiny and I could not change it. It didn't make sense to me at the time, until the day Barbara went into labour. We were attacked by strays, and Barbara almost lost her life, it was just the same as my vision, but I hadn't accounted for her will. Her strong will to live was the only reason she managed to pull through and she gave birth to two healthy children, Timothy and Arizona. That night, Poseidon told me that he was sealing away your powers as well as his own and Barbara's. He said he couldn't risk the life of his family for a feud that he no longer wanted to be a part of. He told me that he was moving away as Hades had already tracked him to Los Angeles and advised I do the same, lest I wanted to be discovered as well. The next night we parted ways, them to New York and Carlos and I to Cambridge. A year later I gave birth to a daughter whom I named after one of the daughters I had lost many, many years ago; Calliope.

It wasn't until 16 years later that I would hear from them again. At first, it was purely coincidental. They had no idea I had moved to Cambridge, nor had I any idea they had moved there as well; it was Calliope who reunited us. She had come home one day gushing about a new student who had captured her attention, telling me about her blonde hair and blue eyes, her dimples and her 'ridiculously adorable' laugh; a blonde haired girl that went by the name: Arizona. The blonde haired girl had started coming to by a lot, and I was enamoured by her resemblance to Poseidon. A few months later, Calliope informed me that their friendship had evolved to a romantic relationship and that she had finally found 'the love of her life', and one night when we had arranged for her partner and her family to have dinner with us, I was beyond surprised to open the door to Poseidon and Aphrodite.

They told me how they had lost their son a year before and he was now residing with Zeus in Boston. It broke my heart to know that they were so close, but unable to reunite because of Hades, he must have known of Timothy's awakening, so they couldn't reunite without risking exposure. After discovering that our daughters were together, Barbara asked me to extend my protection to her as well. She had requested that if anything were to happen to them, I would do whatever it took to protect Arizona. I took the promise to heart, praying that the moment would never come. Soon the visions started again, the same ones from many years ago, and I discovered that my vision was not the event that took place during your birth, but it was to occur soon. Theia's words started to make sense to me.

A few months later, I was shocked to discover a huge disturbance to the atmosphere surrounding our city. It was the sign of Poseidon and Aphrodite's revival, and my vision clouded with the thoughts of Poseidon. He told me that they had been attacked, _were_ _still _being attacked, and that Aphrodite had been critically injured. He reminded me of my promise, and informed me that Arizona had escaped and was probably being chased. He told me of Hades' appearance and that I should make haste for Arizona, and I did; even though I could tell he was injured."

The anger that had been building since she talked of my parents' attack exploded and I lunged at Lucia, grabbing her out of her seat and lifting her up.

"Artemis!" I could vaguely hear Terri's warning voice, but I ignored it. My eyes were raging violet, clouded by rage.

"You bitch!" I hissed out

"He _made_ me choose between my life long friends and their child. I would never have made it in time to save both. So I made the choice."

"You didn't have time? You _didn't_ have the _time_?" I tightened my hold on her clothes.

"I didn't have a choice, they had begged me to protect you. They'd rather die than lose you, Arizona."

Disgust consumed my body at the sound of her voice calling my name.

"No! _No_. _You_ don't get to call me that. You don't _deserve_ to call my name. You left my parents to _die_!" I lifted my free hand ready to strike, "You left them to die!"

So clouded by my anger, I never registered the sound of the door opening or the sounds of chairs scraping back, nor did I hear Lucia's shout of _"Calliope, no!"_

The sensation of pain penetrated my conscious and the anger melted away. My grip on Lucia loosened and I looked down to see a blade protruding from my chest, blood dripping from the wound to the floor. As I fell to the ground, the last thing I was aware of was Calliope's stunned face from behind Lucia.

_Calliope…_


	13. Chapter 13: Betrayal

A.N: Wooo boy, this is getting intense. Thanking you all for the reviews and support.

**To Jessica Torres-Robbins: **I'm sorry, but for the greater good, Arizona must die! Mwuahahahahaha, nah I'm kidding, I wouldn't kill off one of my main characters. That's just sad.

**To Guest: **Yes! Erica is a bitch! There is no stopping the Hahn-inator!

* * *

Chapter 13: Betrayal

Callie p.o.v

I hurried back to the hospital, knowing that I was already late. The meeting with Erica had caught me completely off guard. _What if she's telling the truth? _I shook my head; _no it couldn't be, Terri has been working so hard to protect this city._

The parting words of Erica echoed in my head, I remembered hearing her voice just as I was leaving.

"_She killed my brother you know?"_

"_What?" I was in shock, why would Erica's brother be involved?_

"_Yeah, Athena. She killed him in cold blood; he was 26, still so young and he had a bright future ahead of him. She just appeared one night and killed Trevor, my brother."_

"_Why are you telling me this?" I could hear the pain in her voice; her brother's death must have hit her hard._

"_I just wanted you to know the kind of person she is. She isn't who you think she is; she's calculating, and she knows how to get your trust and affection. Then when you least expect it, she'll turn on you and you won't even see it happening. She knows what'll hurt you the most, and she won't even have to get her own hands dirty."_

I admit that Terri is clever and knowledgeable, and she was clearly running the show here, but would she really kill for no reason? She'd gone out of her way to save Lexie and Teddy, and she'd even kept Arizona and Tim safe for all these years, but was it really just a ploy to gain their trust? And what of the strays? They had been attacking innocent humans and Terri had made it her mission to protect them, _without_ their knowledge, so what could she gain from that? I was so conflicted, but I had to hurry back to my mother and sister.

* * *

"_You bitch!"_

As I approached the room, the blade Erica gave me still clutched tightly in my hands, I could hear the sounds of an angry Arizona, rushing to the door; I felt an aura of pure hatred hit me.

"_You can't trust them …"_

"… _She's probably in danger …"_

"… _Your mother will die at their hands …"_

Erica's voice rang through my head, and doubt flooded my mind. Arizona was angry, so very angry.

"_You left them to die!"_

I tore open the door to see Arizona holding my mother up, eyes blazing, ready to strike, and I panicked. Fear consumed my body and my eyes clouded over, without being consciously aware of it, I had appeared behind my mother, blade in hand, unsheathed.

Driven by the desperate need to protect my mother, I failed to register her frantic cry of _"Calliope, no!" _nor did I hear the sounds of chairs being pushed back hurriedly. I only had eyes for Arizona, no, _Artemis_. My hand plunged forward without consent, meeting resistance, but I pushed hard against it with all my strength. Then, my vision cleared.

_No…_

Arizona's clear blue eyes stared at me wide eyed, in shock; the pain of my betrayal clearly portrayed on her face.

_No…_

The blood ran freely from the wound on her chest and pooled into a puddle on the ground.

_Arizona…_

She fell gasping for air, blood trickling from her mouth, and I dropped to my knees next to her, frantically placing both my hands over the wound, careful to avoid the blade still embedded in her, to try and stem the bleeding.

_What have I done?_

Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to speak, "C-C-Callio-" she managed before choking on her blood.

"Oh god! Arizona, no!"

I was physically torn away from her body, by my arm, by an enraged Alex, face full of thunder, and thrown back towards my mother and sister. There was blood all over my hands. _Arizona's _blood. There was a faint tingling sensation coming from it, but I had disregarded it over Arizona.

Terri and Lexie had taken over triage, and I could see her hand over Arizona's wound glowing a faint white.

"Call Bailey!" came the frantic command, and Clio disappeared from the room.

Arizona was turning paler by the second; I could feel hot turns burning down my face as I struggled in my sister's hold.

Alex came storming over to me and grabbed me. "What did you do? What the _fuck_ did you do?"

"_Stand down Alex_" came Tim's voice, firm and face unreadable. Mark pushed at him and he reluctantly released his grip on me.

"Shit! No, no, no!" came Terri's voice and Arizona started to convulse. She removed her white luminous hand from the wound and raised it to her mouth. Biting down firmly on the wrist, blood dripping, she placed it over Arizona's mouth.

"Come on Ari, come on …"

The blood entered her mouth and a purple aura started to surround her body, glowing vibrantly, pulsing. Red lines started spreading, starting from her throat, trailing down her arms and branching out like veins. The pressure in the room increased tenfold and silence folded over.

Bailey flew into the room, followed by a frantic Owen Hunt and a breathless Cristina Yang, and within seconds, Arizona had been lifted and moved into a patient room, taking all but a few people with them. I was left in the restraining hold of my mother and sister, with Mark and Addie standing by protectively, facing an enraged Tim and an unreadable Terri.

* * *

"Where did you get that blade?" Terri's low voice cut through the strained silence.

"I-I-uh-Erica. Erica gave it to me." I stumbled out.

Terri tensed, "Erica, as in _Erica Hahn_?" she practically growled out the name and I looked up in shock.

"Yeah," I could hear Tim's whispered _"Fuck" _and found myself getting more and more confused.

"Why?'

"I-I don't know. She said it was for protection."

"Why"

"She said I couldn't trust you, and that you weren't who you said you were."

"And you _believed_ her? Over Arizona?" Tim cut in incredulously. My silence gave away my answer.

"Get out." The command was calm, and cool, betrayed only by her red eyes shimmering with anger. Her voice left no room for argument.

What? No! I couldn't leave, not when Arizona's hurt.

"You killed Trevor!" I blurted out. There were gasps from Aria, Mark and Addie at my sudden outburst.

"_What?_"

"She said, Erica-uh, she said you killed her brother, Trevor."

She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "I killed _Pallas_ because, whilst under Hades' order, _Styx_, or should I say, 'Erica', killed mine. It was retribution." She spat out.

_Pallas? Styx?_

"Calliope," came my mother's soft voice, I turned to look at her distraught face; "Pallas and Styx are the children of Hades." I paled immediately.

_No… No! It couldn't be. She tricked me. She _tricked_ me._

"Get out." My sister, Mark and Addie, forced me out of the room, only to encounter a murderous looking Alex in the hallway.

"Are you happy now?"

"Alex, I-I didn't know. E-Erica said-"

"Arizona _told_ you to stay away from that woman. She's a part of Hades' clan and that means she's never up to any good, and you _still_ decided to listen to that bitch over your _girlfriend_?"

"Back off Alex," came Mark's warning voice.

"If anything, and I mean _anything_ happens to her, I won't let you go. This is _your_ fault." He grabbed my hands, "Her blood is on your hands. You better pray nothing happens to her!"

Mark pushed at Alex, only to be shrugged off. I looked down my blood soaked hands, feeling the tingling sensation increase, and they started to shimmer …

_What the?_

… and the next I saw was darkness.

* * *

Terri p.o.v

I was furious, absolutely enraged, and I could feel the anguish and devastation radiating from Tim, but there were still unanswered questions.

"Why did you wipe her memory?" I asked an unsuspecting Lucia, who jumped at the unexpected noise.

"She had witnessed the attack that night and I had to protect her. I couldn't let her remember the face of Hades and Styx, she would have asked too many questions, made the wrong choices. She needed to be ready and to be trained. It just wasn't time, and as her godmother, I made sure she got that time." She explained calmly.

"Hades and Styx? They were both there that night?" Tim asked, and she nodded, "That why not just erase that night? Why erase 16 years worth of memories?"

"Because she couldn't have _any_ reminders. If I had just erased that night, then she would still remember and return to the house that was covered in Hades' scent; she would remember Calliope and I and she would ask too many questions. She needed a new start and a different goal. So I made the choice, to the dismay of my daughter, to give that to her. Don't think that I made that choice easily; she was the daughter of Aphrodite and Poseidon, my _best friends_, and the love of my daughter's life, and I was _destroying_ my daughter in the process. But I would rather her aim be for the truth than revenge. She was such a sweet and innocent girl and I didn't want to subject her to that life."

* * *

"Why now then? Why would you agree to meet us now?" I asked. Tim had gone silent at the mention of revenge.

"Because it's time. I'd sent my daughters here in order to help you, to help Artemis remember."

My face darkened, "Keep your daughter away from Artemis, she's done more harm than good."

She sighed sadly, "I can't."

"I'm _ordering_ you to keep Callie away from Artemis!" I rebuked, daring her to disobey me.

"Fate has already laid out its cards, and we can only follow." Tim looked up in surprise at her cryptic message.

"Don't fuck with me Mnemosyne. Fate has no part in this, only your daughter's stupidity." I spat; I refused to believe that it was Arizona's fate to die at the hands of a _mortal_.

"I'm sure you noticed Calliope's powers earlier on?"

Tim and I nodded as we thought back and remembered the look on her face when she came in. Her eyes had clouded over and emitted a light gleam of blue and she had _flashed_ behind Lucia in a move that was so unexpected, that we hadn't had time to react.

"Calliope and Ariadne are half-breeds, but they had never shown any signs or symptoms of the bloodline."

"But we never sensed them." Tim reminded; it was impossible for them to be vampires without our knowledge.

"I had their aura sealed away like Poseidon. They may have never displayed any powers, but their aura would have given them away.

"What does that have to do with Artemis?"

"They're soul mates." I scoffed at the idea.

"Calliope had unlocked some of Artemis' memories, and in return she awakened Calliope's inherent abilities. It was meant to be; they were destined to be together."

"It's not possible, there has been no prophecies telling of Artemis and Calliope's fates together, and even _if_ there was, it would be the 'Calliope' of 500 years ago, one of _your_ muses and not your daughter."

"There may not be one of Calliope, but … When Calliope was born, Theia came to me in a vision and blessed her with the name 'Iphigenia'."

* * *

I froze and Tim inhaled sharply. No, it couldn't be possible. There was a prophecy; said to have been foretold by Theia herself, of Artemis and Iphigenia. In the prophecy they were lovers, soul mates, but in the time of war, there was a sacrifice made in exchange for freedom. The translations were unclear, but it was always said to be of Iphigenia's sacrifice to Artemis.

"I don't believe you! Callie has given Arizona nothing. We may be at war now, but there is no 'freedom' to be gained, only death, Arizona's death. _You_ of all people should know of the prophecy Mnemosyne."

She smiled gently at me, at my misunderstanding. "Princess, you must have noticed Artemis' hesitation. Her unwillingness to act and kill in the same manner as yourself and Apollo; her confusion towards going after Hades, having no personal vendetta against him; and her personal conflict with the strays?"

I contemplated this for a while. Arizona always had problems killing; the first ever mission we took together; she was almost injured because of her soft heart and unwillingness to destroy a stray. She was always unable to detach herself from the reality that the strays had no redemption, once they were turned, there was no cure. She had tried, begged and pleaded for us to find another way to deal with them, but there was nothing we could do; we didn't have the choice. Reluctantly, she had started to accept the idea that destroying them was for their own good, they would no longer have to suffer from madness and hunger; we had to free them from their imprisonment, but there were always times when we had missions that hit her harder than any other ones; the ones with kids, teenagers and pregnant women. As a doctor, a paediatric doctor no less, she learned not to get attached to her patients, that she couldn't save them all, but she would always give her everything into finding a solution; but as a vampire, not only was there no solution, she had to be the one to end their pain. She had to physically kill them, feel their blood on her hands, and hear their screams as they faded into dust. She'd always put up a mask of indifference, but we could always tell that it had really affected her, and whilst she couldn't cry; inside, she was dying. She constantly asked me questions about Hades, she didn't understand our battle with him, she wanted to know why Hades was so against us, and actually suggested reuniting with him. She didn't understand the cruelty and horror that Hades brought with him, nor did she understand the devastation he would create. She was still so innocent, and a part of me never wanted her to understand what Hades really stood for. I glanced towards Tim and could see he had the same thoughts.

* * *

"And Iphigenia?" I was getting tired, the last few days with Teddy's injuring and now Arizona's was catching up to me, and the meeting Mnemosyne was causing me more grief than I could have ever imagined. I didn't want Artemis to lose herself, but I wanted to free her from her remorse.

"_Calliope_, after having her restraints freed, would be able to access her powers as a _Healer_. It is no coincidence that Calliope chose to go into medicine when she had the world at her feet, it was her destiny to become a Healer, and as Artemis' soul mate, she would be able to heal her body and soul from misery and isolation. She would give Artemis a home, serenity, joy and hope. She would stop her from falling into a pit of despair." She levelled her eyes at me, speaking with utmost clarity, "when _you_ rule as Queen, you will need 2 strong willed, ruthless, hard hearted, elders to stand by you in order to maintain order. You can be merciful, but you need to be able to show sovereignty, the ability to deal with situations as they are presented to you, the will to deliver punishment and exact retribution, and Artemis as she is now cannot be that elder. She will bring the downfall of both you and our clan." Tim had straightened up at the thought of becoming an elder during my reign.

"You've seen how your father rules with his elders and you need to be just like him. You remember how he used to be don't you? When Dionysus was still alive, he was kind hearted and loving towards you, but after his death, his treatment towards you became cold and ruthless. Do you not remember the punishment delivered to you 18 years ago, when you took responsibility for Apollo's mistake?" she glanced briefly at him in apology for bringing up the memory, "The elders tortured you and locked you away without sustenance for 7 days, and not once did Zeus come to your aid, he did not utter a single word as they humiliated you in front of your clan. An example needed to be given to the clan, that every sin would be punished, regardless of your gender, age or rank, even if you were the Crown Princess, you received no mercy. He did not want to be that man, but experience dictates that one cannot be too merciful, less they be taken advantage of. "

I recalled the event she was talking about; Tim had gotten into a petty argument with an advisor's son, he'd used the powers from his bloodline to triumph over his opponent, critically injuring him in the process. The advisor had brought up disarray over the situation, claiming that he was abusing his powers as a Royalty and deserved punishment. His son was in a coma for 6 months before he managed to recover, and the advisor demanded retribution. I couldn't let Tim take the blame, I knew he was acting out because of the way my father and I were treating him, seeming to favour Arizona over him. He was jealous; he wanted freedom and recognition for his ability, none of which my father and I had presented him with. I couldn't blame him though, I felt exactly the same, but I constantly had the elders' eyes on me and did not have the chance to portray such 'uncouth behavior'. In my peripheral vision I could see Tim swimming with guilt; I really didn't blame him though.

Lucia must've seen the conflict playing in my head and tried to one last move to get me to revoke my order. "Artemis would become free from her conflict and Calliope would be free from her restraints, it's for the best, Princess."

Artemis… Arizona… I didn't want her to suffer anymore, but to lose herself in the process… Was it worth it? I looked to Tim for answers, but he was looking straight back at me, giving me the power over Arizona's fate.

* * *

"I refuse."

Taken aback by my adamance, Tim and Lucia gasped,

"P-Princess!"

"Athena!"

"No! I refuse! I refuse to lose Arizona. She's happy, perky, and optimistic, she's _innocent_! She brings light to our dark world, brings joy to our suffering, she gives us hope! Hope that there will be a better future, hope that Hades will not succeed. I would rather have the innocent, kind-hearted and merciful Arizona than a cold and ruthless killer Artemis! I refuse to lose my sister, and I sure as hell refuse to let the prophecies run our lives! I'll forge my own future, with what I already have; I'll create a better ideology, one that Arizona can survive in. To hell with the rules, my father was weak for creating a system that operates on fear; he's just as bad as his father. He may not be a tyrant, but his system has no democracy. I would rather my clan follow me out of respect and love than fear and terror." I looked at Tim to show him my determination, and saw him grinning proudly, eyes shimmering with respect and love. I'd wanted his support over my decision, and he had granted it.

Lucia's shoulders slumped and she dropped her head in defeat. "It's too late."

"What did you say?"

"I admire your tenacity, and I wished that we could have the world you envisioned, but things have already been set in motion, there's no way to change it now."

She raised her head and smiled wistfully at me.

"The sacrifice has already been made."

_No…_

"What?" I stared at her in disbelief

"B-but, Callie hasn't…" Tim stuttered out.

"Part of Theia's vision had been mistranslated, the prophecy spoke of war, freedom and sacrifice. As you know, the war refers to Hades' usurping, the freedom is Artemis' conflict and Calliope's power, but the sacrifice? Everyone believed that it was Iphigenia who was to make the sacrifice, but that's not true. The sacrifice refers to the sacrifice of body, mind and soul, and the one moment they separate is the moment freedom will be achieved…"

_Body, mind and soul … the one moment they separate… the moment they sep-!? It can't be!_

"…The sacrifice means Artemis' blood; it means- "

"Arizona's death"

* * *

A.N: Arizona's dying! Nooooo!

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Teddy, she'll come back soon... Hopefully


	14. Chapter 14: Unlocked

A.N: It's like 4am here; I have no idea who I am anymore. Forgive any mistakes!

* * *

Chapter 14: Unlocked

Arizona p.o.v

_It's dark, so very dark and I'm scared. Where am I?_

"Arizona…"

_Hello? Is someone there?_

"Arizona…"

_That voice! It sounds so familiar; I know it from somewhere, but where? I can't remember._

"Arizona dear, it's time to wake up."

I opened my eyes to see identical blue eyes staring down at me.

"Oh good, you're awake."

My vision cleared and when it finally focused, I saw an older woman with blonde hair and a gentle smile. _Do I know her?_

"Come on now dear, you're going to be late for school."

_School? Where am I?_

"Arizona!" she stated firmly, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

_What's going on?_

"Hard way it is then," she approached me and before I knew it I was convulsing in my bed, peals of laughter escaping my mouth.

"Okay! I give, I give! Stop please, moooooooooom!" I whined breathlessly.

_Mom?_

She stood up; hands on her waist, stern look on her face and stared at me for a moment before relaxing again.

"Good, now come and get breakfast, your father's hasn't left for work yet."

…_Dad?_

I made my way to the bathroom and when I looked into the mirror, I was shocked to see my 16-year-old self staring back at me.

_What's going on?_

I moved to grab the pink toothbrush and my left hand automatically went for the toothpaste on the side of the sink.

_How do I know where everything is? Is this … Is this a memory?_

* * *

After brushing my teeth I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen on pure muscle memory alone. Standing by the kitchen stove was the older blonde … my mother, cracking eggs into a hot pan, and sat at the table was an older man reading the newspaper. When he heard me enter he put down the paper and smiled at me. He was well built, and from what I could see from the military precision buzz cut hair he was sporting, had dirty blonde hair. He had hazel eyes that lit up when he saw me.

"Morning sport!" he said in a deep voice filled with warmth and love.

"Daddy!" I heard myself squeal and run to him, throwing my arms around his neck. "You're still here! I thought you'd have left for work by now." I took a glance at the clock to see that it was seven thirty am.

"Well, I thought I could afford to be late today, it's a certain someone's birthday today isn't it?" he chuckled gruffly.

He smelt like the sea, it was peaceful and calming, and the vibrations from his chuckle warmed me from head to toe.

"Happy birthday butterfly" He called me butterfly because he said that I constantly fluttered around the place energetically like a butterfly. He kissed me on the cheek, and gave me a small box. I opened it to see a pair of keys in the box, looking up at him questioningly, he gestured to the front of the house. I took a look out the window from the kitchen to see a shiny new light blue Thunderbird sitting there.

_I know that car; I've seen it before. I've seen it in Seattle at the hospital. _

"Oh my god! Is that mine? Thank you daddy, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I giggled with joy.

"Well, since you've got your license now, it's only right that you have a car to go with it."

"Oh my god! Mooooooom! Have you seen this?" I turned around at the light laughter coming from my mother.

"Of course I have dear, I picked it out with your daddy. Happy birthday baby." She placed a plate down on the table and I saw scrambled eggs and pancakes loaded on it.

"Oooh yay, my favourite! I love you guys, you're the best! I can't wait till Calliope sees it, she'll go crazy. She _loves_ Thunderbirds."

_Calliope?_

"_We know_ dear, you've been telling us since you met her, after hearing it for about 6 months, I'd think we'd get it by now" my mother teased me, and I blushed. "Aw, Daniel, look at her! Our little girl's in love! She's growing up so quickly!" They all laughed at me despite my grumblings.

_Mom… Dad… I miss you._

* * *

"Now Arizona, be careful okay? Obey the speed limit, stop at every red light, and mind the pedestrians and keep your seatbelt on at _all_ times." My mother was leaning into the car window as I strapped myself in, ready to head into school.

"Yes, yes, I got it the first 3 times you told me" I murmured, "Now goooo, I'm gonna be late!" I jumped around in my seat.

She laughed at me, "Can't wait any longer to see Callie huh?"

I grinned at her, dimples appearing "You know it!"

I manoeuvred through the road and pulled into a parking lot, exiting the car, I walked up to the building and looked up at the sign with 'Cambridge High School' proudly on display. As I went to walk into the building, I heard my name being called.

"Arizona! Hey Arizona!"

I turned around towards the voice, when I spotted the other girl a smile spread across I face. "Calliope"

She approached me with a bright smile; black backpack slung over one shoulder, holding a small box in her hand. "Hi baby, Happy birthday" she leaned forward and gave me a peck on the cheek. I could feel my cheeks burning from how wide my grin had gotten. "Here I got this for you." She held out the box, and I saw that it was covered with a baby blue wrapping, with a white bow stuck on top, next to the bow there was a little card, flipping it over I recognised her writing on it. 'To Arizona, happy 16th birthday, you are my life and I love you, love Calliope'.

I looked up to see her avoiding my eyes, a faint pink tinge on her cheeks, "Thank you Calliope."

"Don't thank me yet, open it!" she urged.

Opening the box, I found a silver necklace, gently picking it up by the chain; I saw a heart attached to the end in a way so it was slightly lopsided.

_I recognise this necklace__._

"Its awesome. I love it." I smiled sweetly at her and she beamed at me. I carefully studied her features, looking from her wide brown eyes, to the slope of her nose, down to her full lips.

_She looks just like she does now, just a lot younger. She's still magnificent, so stunning._

"What's the matter?" she looked at me curiously.

"Hm?" I replied absentmindedly.

"You're looking at me like we haven't seen each other in years. I saw you just yesterday in class, and last night as well on our date."

_I want to kiss her._

I leaned forward, gently cupping her face and kissed her soft lips. "I love you," I whispered as I pulled away.

She flushed bright red, ducking her head shyly, "Ari…" she muttered quietly before looking at me with soft eyes. "I love you too."

_She looks the same, but her personality is different…_

* * *

_"__I can't believe they got you a Thunderbird for your birthday, I'm __so__ jealous!"_

I giggled slightly at Calliope's whining tone from the other side of the phone. I was lying on my bed in my pyjamas, and it was dark outside.

"I know right? At least now you'll have an excuse to want to spend more time with me." I teased.

_"__Ari, you know that's not why I want to spend time with you."_

I smiled at the shy tone of her voice; she was always so shy when it came to talking about her feelings and declarations of love. I recalled the time I'd finally asked her out on a date and she had stuttered and stumbled around her words for about 5 minutes before just nodding. She was getting better at showing her feelings now without getting too shy or embarrassed, it was one of the things I loved the most about her. When we first started dating; she had asked me once, why it was so easy for me to discuss things that were on my mind, to talk about feelings, and to show them so freely. I'd told her that I liked being honest about my thoughts and feelings; if I liked someone, I wanted to be able to proudly show it off to the world. She had said that she felt guilty that she wasn't able to do the same and I remember staring into her eyes and declaring:

_"__I really like you Calliope, and I'm not afraid of what the world thinks. I know you like me too, you may not say it out loud, but your actions show it. And the fact that you're here with me right now, and holding my hand, telling me about your concerns; that makes me really happy. And it makes me want to fall in love with you all the more."_

"I know Calliope, it's obviously because of my insanely great body and amazing sense of humour. And you like to make other people insanely jealous that you managed to bag yourself such a hot girl!"

She giggled and I grinned, fingers slowly tracing the necklace that now adorned my neck.

"I really do love your gift you know? It's awesome."

"_You're welcome, I thought it'd really suit you, I saw it and thought of you. It's beautiful isn't it?"_

"Not as beautiful as you though." She spluttered slightly and I chuckled.

"_A-ri-zo-naaaa!" _she whined

"Whaaaaat?"

"_You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"_

"Doing what on purpose" I played.

"_You know what." _She accused playfully.

"What? I can't give my girl a compliment she deserves? Because I'm totally not down with that."

"_You _know_ that's not what I meant. You're having way too much fun at my expense"_ I could practically hear the pout in her voice.

"Yeah, you're super cute when you blush."

_She still is…_

I waited a moment as she gasped at the compliment, before adding quickly, "plus all those little gasps and flushes gives me a pretty good idea of how you'll react when I finally get you in my bed!"

"_Arizona!" _she squealed and I burst out into laughter. It was just too easy sometimes, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry, forgive me?"

"_Maybe…" _

"Aw come one. Pleeeeeeease? Pretty, pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

She chuckled at my antics, and sighed dramatically, _"If I must then …"_

"Awesome, you're the best. Hey Calliope?"

"_Yeah?"_

"Say it."

"_Say what?" _she asked confused.

"You know, _it_." I waited until she finally got it and I heard a whisper of _'oh!' _as she came to the realisation of what I wanted.

"_I love you Arizona."_ She always spoke those words with the softest and most loving voice, and I would never tire of hearing it; not from her.

"I love you too. Goodnight." We hung up and I went to sleep with dreams of nothing but her.

_I love you too, I love too Calliope…_

* * *

I was woken up by pounding on the door downstairs; blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I glanced towards the clock and saw that it had just passed 2am. The pounding continued and I heard my father climbing down the stairs with exclamations of _'yeah, yeah I heard you the first time'. _He was _not_ someone you wanted to wake up in the middle of the night. The sound of the door opening was quickly followed by sounds of arguing. I climbed out of bed and snuck my head out of my door, to see my mother standing at the top of the stairs. She saw me and motioned for me to go back inside as she went downstairs.

_It's dark, I remember this … No, no … No!_

The sudden sounds of crashing had me running down the stairs to my parents, and when I entered the first thing I saw was darkness. There was a man standing there in the kitchen, he had turned around as I came running in and his eyes were dark, eerily dark. He was tall, brunette, and pale and was wearing a tailored black suit, crisp white shirt, and black tie with shiny black shoes. He looked like he was going to a funeral.

"Ah, you must be _Artemis_" his voice was low and smoky; it sent shivers down my back.

"Leave her out of this Hades!" came the booming voice of my father.

_Hades… No!_

"_This_ is Artemis, she's not much is she daddy?" there was giggling from beside the man … Hades. I turned my attention to her and saw a girl roughly 18 years old staring at me with disappointment in her eyes. She was blonde and had ice blue eyes, and she looked just as pale as Hades.

"Now, now Erica, she's '_human_' right now, we've just got to get the real her out and then you can play okay?"

What was going on? My father looked so angry and my mother so scared, who was this man? And what the hell was 'Hades'?

"Arizona!" I turned at my father's voice, "run!" His voice left no room for argument; I had never heard him sound like this before, so didn't even think to question him. I had just turned around when the blonde girl suddenly appeared in front of me; her eyes were now bright yellow.

What the hell? I swear her eyes were blue and are they _glowing?_

"Stop this Hades, it's me you want!" My father's booming voice made me shudder.

"Au contraire, my dear brother. You, I could care less for, but _her_, she looks just so delicious." There was venom dripping from his voice as he licked his lips.

_No, no, no… _

"Daniel!" my mother cried out desperately before my father let our a roar that echoed throughout the entire house, the air around the room increased so much it was suffocating. Outside I could hear thunder and lightning striking as rain pelted on the windows. A bright light blinded me, and when my vision cleared and my eyes landed on my parents, I was shocked at what I saw.

My father was standing tall, a deep blue aura surrounding his body, eyes burning a bright thunderous blue; and my mother was there right beside him, a light pink aura surrounded her, eye blazing a fiery red; both with fangs out growling at Hades and Erica. Another bright flash and I saw that Hades and Erica had also 'changed'. She had a bright yellow aura, with golden eyes and he had a similar yellow aura and golden eyes, but both his were tinged with hints of black.

What the hell was going on? I was frozen to the spot as fear flooded my body.

"Run Arizona!" My mother came at Erica beside me, whilst my father charged at Hades.

_I know what happens. No! I don't want to be here anymore. Take me home! Anybody! Just let me go!_

There was a loud crash as my father and Hades collided, aura exploding causing the pots and pans, the table and the chairs all to be pushed outwards and shatter. I felt a cold breeze and turned to see that a block of ice had consumed Erica, and my mother grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the door, which suddenly crashed open as 8 men came tearing through, 4 with eyes yellow, and 4 with eyes dark black; all had fangs bared. Their sudden appearance caught my mother off guard and she was hit by a bolt of yellow lightning that sent her flying backwards. They came at me, but my mother had reappeared almost instantly, aura flaring up and in a flash 4 of the men had turned to dust.

_She's so powerful…_

A cry of pain caught our attention and I saw my father hit the floor, blood pooling underneath him.

"Daddy!" He growled and stood back up, charging at Hades, who was also bleeding from various wounds.

"Arizona, you need to leave, get out and run. Don't stop running." My mother grabbed onto me and threw me out the door. The last thing I saw before the door closed was Erica coming up behind her with a short blade that had three jewels encrusted on the hilt.

_White, black and blue…_

I ran, and ran, and ran. My heart pounded heavily in my ears. Run, run, just keep running. It was a mantra I kept repeating in my head. _I was scared, so scared, the fear consumed my entire body. It almost threatened to buckle me knees, but I couldn't stop, I had to keep running. I couldn't let __it__ catch me, whatever __it__ was. I took a quick glance around to see where I was. It was the park, I always came to this park to think, and there was never anyone around this late at night. "Dammit!" It lunged, from out of the shadows, and then I was on the ground. I looked up into its eyes, they were completely black, covering even the white part of the eye; it was like looking up into death. There was pain, all consuming pain, I wanted to scream, but it had my throat. Then, silence._

_No… Mother! Father! … Hades, Erica, I'm going to kill them; I'll kill them all!_

* * *

Callie p.o.v

When I woke up, my head was pounding, and everything hurt. _What happened? … Arizona!_ I sat up quickly and found myself sitting in a bed with my mother and sister sitting by my bedside.

"You're awake Calliope."

"What happened? Arizona! Where's Arizona?"

"Calm down, everything is okay." My mother's voice was soft and soothing, but I was too agitated to calm down.

"Where's Arizona?"

"She's … stable." She hesitated.

"Stable? What do you mean stable? What happ.." My voice trailed off as the memory of what I'd did hit me. "Oh my god! What have I done?" I sobbed into my hands and felt my mother's arms come around me, pulling me tightly into her.

"Calliope, you had no choice. It was all part of the prophecy."

"Prophecy? What?" I asked in confusion, I looked towards Aria to see her looking at me sadly. _Does she know what's happening?_

"Let me explain it all, just calm down my dear." As I listened to my mother explain everything that had happened before I had entered the room, I felt my eyes widen in horror. _She's Mnemosyne? The one responsible for Arizona's amnesia. Why?_

She slowly finished the story of the prophecy and watched me sadly as I stared at her mouth agape.

"I-I'm Arizona's soul mate?" she shook her head gently.

"No, you're Artemis' soul mate." I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"But Arizona _is_ Artemis." _Isn't she? Or did I miss something…_

"I'm afraid that's not how it works. Not anymore. If … _When_ she wakes up, the Arizona you knew before will no longer exist."

"No longer exist? Is she going to die I thought she was just getting her memories back?"

"Not exactly, but she will finally stop supressing Artemis' natural instincts, the guilt and devastation she felt as Arizona held her back; she needs to be stronger and more ruthless if she is to survive this war. And that's where you come in. You have to make sure Arizona never comes back."

"What do you mean 'make sure Arizona never comes back? Mama you're confusing me." I screamed out in frustration.

"Let's put it this way; Arizona is her humane side, the side with all the guilt, the misery and the pain, whereas Artemis is her animalistic side, the side with no remorse, no mercy, and no regrets. You need to make sure that 'Arizona' never comes back out."

My heart was breaking; I was about to get Arizona back only to lose her all over again immediately. "I can't do that mama, I love Arizona! If Artemis is needed to survive this war, then I'll make sure that she comes out during war, but I _need_ Arizona, _I_ won't survive without Arizona. I'll protect them both; I'll _save_ them both." My mother and Aria stared at me in astonishment, then she let out a chuckle whilst Aria still looked bewildered.

"You are so much like Athena. Your stubbornness, your determination and your need to protect Art… _Arizona_. What is so special about that woman?"

"She's the love of my life. She's so innocent, so light and happy, I don't want to lose that side of her and I'd do anything to protect her."

"Light to a dark world, joy to suffering…" I heard my mother mutter absentmindedly

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just something Athena said about her."

"T-Terri? She said _that_ about Arizona?"

"Yes. Are you feeling better now?" I took a moment to consider before nodding, "very good, now come, let's go, you need to apologise." My mother had pulled Aria and I out the door before I could get another word in.

* * *

I stood there awkwardly as they all stared at me. There were mixed emotions flying around; indifference, anger, pity, and sorrow, it was intimidating.

"What is _she_ doing here?" snarled a grumpy Alex.

I looked to the head of the table where Terri and Tim were sat, and met their eyes; they were staring at me unmoving, faces unreadable. Terri had her elbows on the table, fingers linked, and chin resting on top, whereas Tim was leaning against the back of his chair, arms crossed. Did I mention it was intimidating?

"Okay, hold up, can someone please just explain what's so special about that blade Erica gave Callie? It looks just like the one that injured Teddy." Addie cut in.

"The Blade of Cronus" came a deep, booming voice from the doorway. A tall, greying African man had just entered the room, he had a white lab coat on over his clothes, blood covering areas of it.

"Richard, it's been a while. It's good to see you." My mother greeted the man.

"Likewise Mnemosyne." He replied.

"How is she?" Terri asked.

"She's stable now; your blood is helping a lot, Princess. Bailey and Hunt are looking after her, and I've made special instructions to Dr Yang regarding her chest wound; she's being taken care of, don't worry." I studied Terri carefully and had only just realised that she look a lot paler and tireder than usual. "I've also taken a look at Theodora, and she's recovering well, I've given them both something to help speed things up. By my calculations, Theodora should wake up soon."

Addison let out a sigh of relief at the news; I saw tears filling her eyes and knew that she was struggling with not running straight to her bedside.

"And Artemis?" Terri's voice sounded exhausted and I briefly wondered how much time had actually passed; I hadn't the mind to ask my mother beforehand.

"Ah, she'll take a little bit longer."

"How much longer?"

"As long as it take to complete the uh," he glanced at me briefly, "revival." I looked away guiltily.

"Calliope, Ariadne, let me introduce you to Richard Webber, the right hand man of my father, Zeus, and the greatest Healer known to our clan." Terri calmly spoke, and we nodded to each other in greeting.

_Richard Webber, as in ex-Chief of SGMW, critically acclaimed and highly accomplished General Surgeon Doctor Richard Webber? Holy crap!_

* * *

"So, Blade of Cronus?" asked Mark

"Yes, the _Blades_ of Cronus are a set of three blades created by Cronus for his three sons." Richard held up the blade Erica had given me, "each blade has 3 jewels encrusted on the hilt, white for Zeus, black for Hades and blue for Poseidon. Cronus was a very powerful vampire and had created these blades for his sons as a symbol of royalty. They were created by his own hands and infused with his blood, which is toxic to other vampires." A look of confusion crossed our faces. "It's part of a ritual you partake in when you are crowned, the ritual enhances their blood, making them unique to the other Royals; a sign of supremacy if you may. It gives them the authority to kill or save vampires; I'm sure that you all noticed that the Princess offered her blood in order to sustain both Artemis and Theodora?" There were nods all around. "Yes, well that part is important, only blood offered willingly can be used to save another. It's like a failsafe system; taking their blood by force will only poison your own body, the system allows the direct heirs to be protected, otherwise everyone would be after the heirs after birth. But it is also detrimental to the health of the heirs as well, as it drains the blood and power from their own life force, weakening them in the process. That's because it's a unique ability, so it takes time to 'recharge'.

Now as mentioned before, the Blades of Cronus were originally created as a symbol of authority, those wielding the blades represented that they were acting on behalf of the Royal family, and so only the members closest to the Royals were trusted with the blade. But during the war, when the 3 brothers overthrew their father, these blades were used in combat and so were stained with Cronus' blood; and because of that, these blades became toxic to other vampires."

"So if each son possesses a blade, then how comes Hades has 2?" asked Addison, she had come in contact with 2 strays each possessing a blade each.

"Because Hades has possession of my father's blade." Tim's steely voice cut in.

"Does that mean that you're immune to the blade Terri?" Addison continued, completely disregarding the atmosphere in the room.

"Ah, not exactly. The effects are less obvious and it'd take a lot more to completely disable her, but it is still harmful to her. The blood belonged to the strongest vampire we'd ever had and that power is retained in the blood, the only reason he was defeated was because he was haunted by his own insanity and hallucinations. It had taken the combined powers of the 3 heirs, whom had all inherited some of the enhanced blood, and the Queen, with whom he had mated with to defeat him. The mating ritual shares power and life between the couple, so the Queen sacrificed her own life and blood to save her sons and the clan. An reputable and honourable Queen that we could never replace."

"Never? What about Terri's mom?" I really envied Addie's selective senses, she had completely ignored the tension earlier on and was now ignoring Terri's darkening aura.

"The-uh-the Queen-uh-she-um" He kept glancing at Terri and stuttering; it was strange to see the man so jittery, and oddly amusing. He seemed to be in great fear of Terri, though I'm not surprised, she _is_ pretty scary when she wants to be.

"My mother is dead. And she was _not_ the Queen. That woman did not deserve the title, not after having Rhea as the Queen before her. She was nothing like her predecessor." Her rigid voice explained.

"P-Princess, please the Queen was just-"

"Do you dare refute me Richard? The cheating, frivolous harlot managed to find her way into Hades' bed!" she spat out as gasps penetrated the air, "I'm glad Tobias killed her before she could infect me anymore."

"Hades' bed? Wait, Tobias as in _your brother_ Tobias?" Oh god, Addie seriously has no filter, I shot her a pleading look.

_Come on Addie, this isn't SGMW Gossip Mill; this isn't a juicy story told for your entertainment, please stop!_

"Yes, the undignified woman starting sleeping with Hades and anyone associated with him, _why_ my father chose her to mother Dionysus and I, I will never know. Apparently, she used to love my father and he her, and she bore him 2 children, but sometime after I was born she started her whoreish ways. Some say she was influenced by madness, some say she was seduced by Hades, and others just say that she was a promiscuous woman who deserved no redemption. Either way, when she started trying to sway me into Hades' army, she stopped being my mother. Dionysus killed her when I was 6 when she tried to kidnap me away to Hades. I dread to think of what the world would be like if she had succeeded." I was glad to see that Addie had finally clued in to the tension and stopped questioning Terri, I really didn't want to see her get slaughtered in Terri's anger.

"_Regardless_, we are drifting off topic. The circumstances regarding Calliope and Artemis has already been explained and we _will_ accept Calliope into our family providing she bears _our_ mark and follows as directed." Terri's authority rang out and I sighed in relief at her acceptance, taking a quick look around I could see that Alex seemed to be the only protesting, albeit rather silently. "_However_, I would like to add that we will not aid her in her pursuit of Artemis' affections. _Should_ she choose to accept you; it will be of her own accord, and not from any influence from us. We will neither encourage nor dissuade her." She looked directly at Alex, daring him to protest. "When Artemis awakens, Calliope will be responsible for her aftercare, assuming that your powers are truly activated."

"Oh I can reassure you that that is true." My mother assured, "Artemis' blood has unsealed the latent abilities that lay dormant within her, and it will not take her long to learn how to use them correctly. If I may be so daring?" Terri nodded, "I believe that just by being in Artemis' presence will help Calliope, her powers are triggered by Artemis, and so it would only makes sense for her to be near the source, no?" Oh my mother was _good_, she knew that I wanted to see Arizona and would probably not be able to do that; at least not if Alex had anything to do with it. So this way, I get to learn whilst still being near Arizona. _Oh, you sneaky, sneaky woman._

She closed her eyes as she digested the information for a little while; rocking on her chair, head rolling back. She opened her eyes, staring straight at my mother, before stating with utmost seriousness.

"I'll agree on the condition that you give me Ariadne." My sister gasped in bewilderment. What the hell could she want with Aria? My mother opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off straight away, "_Or_ I could declare my right to the bride. Your choice, she follows me willingly, or I take her by force."

"Right to the bride? What the _hell_ is that?" exclaimed my sister.

"You were predetermined to be the bride of the Crown, and seeing as Dionysus is dead, you are automatically passed onto the next Crown, which would be me."

"That's bullshit! I am not some _chattel_ that you can just pass to whoever you want. I refuse!" Aria was furious.

"It's how fate has laid out it's cards, and you have _no choice but to follow_, am I right Mnemosyne?" She smirked at her checkmate on my mother. My mother looked horrified at the idea, she had never thought her words would be used against her.

"Ariadne…" she chanced a look at Aria.

"No, no mama! It's not fair on me!"

"We don't have a choice." She replied sadly.

"There's no rush, take as much time as you want. _I_ can wait, but can Artemis?" Terri stated smugly, amused at my mother's conflict. I glared at her; I had never expected her to be so cruel, especially not in a situation like this. I'd thought that Arizona's involvement would sway her decision, but instead, she was using Arizona as her trump card. It was despicable.

Aria looked desperately between my mother and I, hoping that one of us would say something, but I couldn't meet her eyes; it was my fault she was in this position, and my mother had been stunned into silence by Terri's actions.

Terri stood to leave as I finally looked at Aria, and I could see the fire in her eyes as she came to a decision.

"Wait!" she looked at Terri with utmost conviction and declared in her firmest voice, "I'll do it."

"Aria, you don't have to-"

"Don't Cal, just don't. She's your soul mate; your one and only. Terri may not care about Arizona's happiness, but I care about yours okay? So just, just let me okay?" I could feel tears gathering in my eyes; I couldn't believe Aria was sacrificing herself for me. My mother looked on in dismay at having unintentionally offered her own child up for auction.

"Wonderful, shall we get started then?" Terri clapped her hands and dismissed us all. "Oh, Addison?" the redhead turned to attention, "I can sense that Teddy will be awake soon, you may want to head in there now, I'm sure you'll be the first person she wants to see." She nodded and headed out the room beaming.

I was the last to leave the room, wanting to stay with Aria as long as possible, but eventually I had to leave, and when I closed the door, I could see Aria standing there proudly, determination never once leaving her face.

_I'm so sorry Aria._

* * *

Aria p.o.v

I can't believe what just happened, did she really just use me as auction material? Does she not care that Arizona's happiness depends on Callie? What is wrong with her?

"So how do you want to do this?" I stated harshly. There was no need to be polite and friendly to a monster.

She sat down heavily in her chair and slumped down, energy wavering dangerously with exhaustion. "You can leave you know?"

"What?" Seriously? She caused all this commotion only to tell me to leave? There's something seriously wrong with her, I can't believe I actually used to look up to her as a talented genius.

"I didn't really mean any of it; I was just pissed at Mnemosyne. I mean, she'd spent so long hiding from us, even though she knew exactly where we were and then turned up and played the fate card. Then Arizona almost died, I mean I watched her heart stop _5 times_ you know? I just kept feeding her blood to try and keep her stable enough for us to fix her wounds so she could start healing, but she just kept crashing. And now I'm probably going to lose her anyway, and the only one who can potentially fix her is the one who put her there in the first place. And the reason _she's_ even here is because of Mnemosyne; which leads me back to being pissed again. So yeah, I wasn't serious, not really anyway. But I do think you should be marked, for protection though, not ownership, because Hades obviously knows that Mnemosyne is here, and if he sent Erica to Callie, then he obviously knows that you're her daughter too, and you'll probably be in danger. So, yeah." She dropped her head into her arms on top of the table.

_Wow, she can ramble. Okay so it was just a ploy to piss off my mom? Fair enough, but she does have a point, maybe she isn't so bad after all._

"Are you okay?" I cautiously approached her. She turned to look at me; keeping her head in her arms.

"What? Yeah I'm just tired"

"_Clearly_" she had exhaustion written all over her face, and I wondered if she had actually had any rest since this all started 6 days ago, when Teddy got injured.

"When's the last time you slept? You look drained, and really pale." I was genuinely concerned, times were serious and we couldn't afford to have our leader incapacitated.

"I don't know. I've been running around since Teddy got injured, I mean I had to feed her to save her; and then we had to prepare for your mother's arrival in between shifts looking after Teddy and emergency surgeries we had 'upstairs' in the hospital; then there was the planning to prevent the world from blowing up or something; and then Arizona. She took a lot of blood because it was a wound directly to the heart. I mean we're not like the vampires that you see on TV, where we'll die if you stab us through the heart with a stake or anything; but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like hell. Just think of all the times in the E.R when a patient comes in with a chest wound, it's always touch and go with them. But yeah, I think I'm a little malnourished?" she chuckled a bit at her own humour, "can vampires even get malnourished? … Actually yeah we can, ignore that, I think I just need to feed or something." I stared at her wide eyed, completely not expecting such a talkative and somewhat goofy person; she'd pretty much done a complete 180 from the person she was with my mother earlier on. It was all kinds of adorable.

_Wait… Adorable? Shit…_

"You seriously need some sleep."

"Mmm, yeah I know, that's what I'm doing now." She mumbled into her arms. I watched her figure slumped over the table and felt my heart ache.

_She's just like a child._

"Hey, if you wanted to piss off my mom, why did you bring Arizona and Callie into it? You really did sound like a heartless bitch, it was like you didn't care about Arizona at all." I was really trying to understand her; there were times where she was just like a child, times where she was a complete badass and hardcore, and then there were the times where she just irritated you. She was so complex.

She straightened up in her seat, "It's my job to be hated; it's the only way it works." I arched an eyebrow at her. "I treated Tim like he was nothing and ordered him around like I would any other vampire, with no regard to his royalty status in order to make him into a better warrior; a suitable heir; a perfect replacement for me. I need to make sure that if I die, I'm not leaving the clan leaderless.

I pissed off Callie in order to make her more determined to work for the success of Arizona's revival, to work harder to Arizona's affections, to treasure her relationship, and to prove that I was wrong about them. I love Arizona and I don't want to see her hurt, so if Callie was unwilling to take this seriously, I'd rather subject her to a lifetime without her mate than have her mate break her later on. She'd be devastated and I wouldn't be able to save her.

And with your mother, I purposely provoked her for 2 reasons. 1, yeah she really pissed me off. But more importantly, I wasn't kidding about the 'right to the bride', you really are destined to become the bride of the Crown, whoever that may be, and I didn't want her to distraught herself trying to find a way out for you if Hades happened to kill us all and Erica became the Crown. There's no doubt that she loves you, and would never give away a child like that, I mean she actually liked Toby, so when she found out that you were destined to marry him, she was relieved because she knew he would treat you right. Imagine her devastation when she found out Hades had succeeded in killing him. She's been trying to protect you, so I forced her hand; or rather I forced _yours_, Aria."

"You did?"

"Oh yeah, totally. Rather than make her feel like she was giving away her child like, what was the word you used, 'chattel', I made _you_ choose instead. There was no way she was going to choose between either of her child's happiness. If she'd chosen you, then Callie wouldn't be able to see Arizona, but if she'd chosen Callie, then you would belong to me. She was torn, and after seeing that, _you_ made the decision of your own free will."

_Holy crap, she's a genius._

"But in the end, it was just a scare tactic. I don't mean it, so whatever." She shrugged nonchalantly, brushing it off as if it was nothing. Then she slumped back over the table again and began to drift off.

As I studied her sleeping figure, I couldn't help but be amazed by her.

_She's been trying so hard to help everyone, taking away the conflict from the situation to make it easier for them, but at what cost? How many people resented her for what she'd done to them without knowing the truth behind it all? I can see that Tim follows her with complete trust, respect and love, but what of everyone else? Mom and Callie will forever believe that she's a cold and heartless monster, Mark and Addie will stand by Callie in the end, Arizona by Callie, Alex and Teddy by Arizona, so who does she have left? If it came down to it, would Tim choose his sister or his leader? And Lexie, love or loyalty? _

I stroked a hand through her hair gently, her head rolling to the side, face portraying a childish innocence never seen on a regular basis.

_She's really lonely isn't she? She's already lost her brother and her mother, how much more does she stand to lose? Has she ever shared any of her pain and burden with anyone?_

"Seriously, you can leave. Before everyone thinks I've eaten you or something." The low voice laced heavily with sleep broke me out of my musings.

"You're really kind of adorable you know?" I stated absentmindedly.

"Um…What?" _Shit! I didn't mean to say that out loud._

"Uh, I said no. Nope, you're going to mark me. You said it was for my protection right? And besides I'd rather you mark me than anyone else." She looked up at me disorientated. I don't blame her really; I had completely changed my opinion of her within the last 10 minutes.

"You wouldn't rather Tim? I mean, he's a pretty nice looking guy, I'm sure you'd be happy with him." She meekly offered

_Was she embarrassed?_

"Nope, I choose you. Besides, you said it had to be with the Crown right?"

"Yeah, but what if I like, die? You know you'll end up with Tim anyway right? And it's bad form for the Queen to be marked by someone else."

"Then you better work hard at staying alive then." She opened her mouth to protest and I was getting frustrated. "Look, I trust you." She froze, eyes softening and smiling at me gently. It made me feel warm inside. "Come on get it over with. Mark me!"

"Wow, I've never met anyone so desperate to be marked," she chuckled at my antics. Slowly, she raised her hand to my chest placing her index finger over my heart, her eyes grew red and I felt a burning sensation flooding my body, it was gone as quickly as it appeared. She handed me a hand held mirror that had seemingly materialised out of nowhere and I saw that my eyes were now shining red, with sparks of white appearing, and on my chest was a black owl.

"So, that's the mark of Athena. Welcome to the family Ariadne Torres. Now, your eyes are slightly different to Lexie and Teddy's because of your dormant bloodline you inherited from Mnemosyne and your destiny to become Queen, so have fun with that." She stated tiredly, before a yawn practically consumed her face.

"Come here, you need to feed." I gestured to my neck.

"Uh, aren't we moving a bit quickly here? I've _just_ marked you and you wanna be sired?" Terri's 'deer in the headlights' look was hilarious.

"You don't have to sire me, you can just feed right?" I forced out between giggles.

"Usually yes, but not with you, no. You have a great destiny and blah blah blah, and besides you're a half-breed anyway, your vampire will fully awaken if I bite you. Not even Callie's vampire is awake yet; she needs Arizona to feed from her before that happens. You guys just have access to your power for now."

I deliberated for a while before nodding. "Like I said, I trust you." We maintained eye contact for what seemed like hours, as she studied my face, until she finally moved to push my hair away from my neck. She stroked gently along my jugular and I felt her breath on my throat as she leaned closed, I shivered at the contact.

"Last chance to back out." She whispered against my throat and I swallowed loudly at the feelings they provoked. I closed my eyes and tilted my head to give her more space and the next thing I felt was pain as I heard her words echo in my head.

_I'm sorry…_

* * *

A.N: Well that was long!


	15. Chapter 15: Artemis

A.N: I finally got the chapter out! Been super paranoid about losing my thoughts and wrote this chapter half asleep, not the greatest thing to do. Thanks for all the support and hope you enjoy this chapter.

**To** **Iamnotapotatoe: **I totally get what you mean, but I couldn't resist. The cheesy rites and mysterious history basically makes the story. Don't worry, I've got lots planned out so it won't end within the next 5 chapters, maybe a twist or two thrown in, that part is still in debate =]. But super thanks for reading and the support.

**To nikki: **You, my friend, are quickly becoming my favourite reviewer. Thanks for all the support and reviews!

Many thanks to my super Captain and new beta **2damnpretty2die**, you are awesome!

* * *

Chapter 15: Artemis

General p.o.v

The redhead sat beside the hospital bed waiting for her partner to show any signs of awakening, she was antsy and getting rather sick of the continuous beeping coming from the machines that she lay attached to.

"_Come on, come on, come on."_ She repeated, it had been too long since she last saw her hazel eyes, and if she was being honest, far too long since their last confrontation. She couldn't believe that she actually missed the verbal sparring they always partook in.

"_Terri said she was waking soon, why isn't she waking? It's been 4 hours already, that isn't soon. Dammit Terri. Come on Teddy, let me see those beautiful eyes of yours."_

There was a sound.

"_Was that a groan?"_ her patience was wearing thin and she thought she was hallucinating.

It came again.

"_Nope, definitely a groan."_

"Teddy… Teddy? Come on sweetie."

Teddy's nose scrunched up at her voice, trying to hang onto the remaining strands of sleep that she desperately did not want to leave. Finally her eyes opened, squinting at the harsh lights that penetrated her lids, she was met with the teary blue eyes of Addison.

"H-hey," she croaked out.

"Hey? _Hey?_ That's all you've got to say? What the hell!" Teddy was taken aback by the sudden fury of the woman, she thought that maybe she was still asleep and was actually dreaming.

"Um… I'm sorry?" She went to sit up, but groaned at the ache she still felt in her abdomen. Addison noticed and deflated straight away, coming to the aid of the dirty blonde woman.

"You're still injured stupid! Here, take it easy." After she had helped Teddy into a sitting position, she sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her intently, raising a hand to stroke the side of her face. "God, I was so scared, there was so much blood and you weren't moving or responding to anything." Her voice was strained, the barriers she had put up falling down slowly.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't let you get hurt." Teddy replied, voice soft, as if she was afraid to scare off the woman and end this tender moment between them. She closed her eyes at the feeling of Addison's hand on her cheek.

"Why?"

Teddy choked slightly, eyes opening, not expecting the question. It was part of the game they played; they'd fight and argue, but would never really question each other's motive.

"Because." It was the only word she could manage.

"Teddy, tell me" Addison insisted.

"Because… I…I have feelings for you…strong ones." She closed her eyes and tensed in fear of the other woman's reply. Soft lips touched hers and she shot her hands up immediately to the other woman's shoulder, holding her still.

"A-Addison, what…?" Teddy stuttered out when they finally separated.

"I swear you are the dumbest, most idiotic, frustrating, hard headed…" Teddy winced at each word, "… bravest, loyal, most amazing person I have ever met, and I couldn't imagine my life without you in it." Teddy stared in bafflement as she reached the end of her tirade.

Addison just sat there, arms crossed and huffing. She wasn't angry with the woman at all, but the fear had somehow manifested itself into anger and when she woke up, it all came flying out. The pent up emotions had just exploded and now she was disappointed at herself for not controlling her emotions better.

"I-uh…"

"Just shut up and kiss me Altman." And so she did.

…

"Well don't we look cosy here?" came the teasing voice from the doorway, full of mirth. The women sprang apart, bright red, and turned to see Terri leaning on the doorframe grinning with a giggling Aria standing behind her. "Glad to see you're feeling better Teddy."

Teddy looked at Aria with interest, sensing an odd aura surrounding her and when she figured it out, she bowed her head in a sign of respect, "Mistress."

Addison looked on curiously at Teddy's reaction and waited until Teddy explained.

"Aria's been marked as the bride of the Crown, and she's been sired." She turned to Aria, eyes wide in shock, and when she received a nod, she too bowed her head.

"Come on guys, don't. It's nothing special, I'm still Aria, nothing's changed, so don't do that." Aria protested, and when they had relaxed, she entered the room with Terri and sat in the chair that Addison had vacated.

"Has Addison told you about what's happened yet?" Terri asked. She received a negative shake of head. "I'm not surprised, looks like you've been … _preoccupied_" she teased lightly, before turning serious again. "It's a pretty long story."

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

_There's someone here, I can feel it. Who is it?_

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened, I didn't mean to believe her over you, but when I walked in to see you holding my mother up, I didn't know what to do. You were so angry; I've never seen you like that before."

_They sound so sad._

"I swear, I'll do everything I can to protect you, just _*sob* _don't give up on me."

_I know that voice, it's Calliope._

"I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, even if you're angry at me, even if you hate me, I'll never leave your side. I promise."

_I could never hate you. I love you, please don't cry._

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I'll never hurt you again I swear it."

_I want that too Calliope, I want that too. I want to be with you no matter what happens. _

_Why can't I move? I want to hold her, she's crying, I need to be there for her. Dammit, move! God it hurts, why does my chest hurt so much?_

"Ari, you just take your time."

_There's something on my hand; it feels so warm. I feel so warm; the pain is disappearing. _

"When you're ready to wake up, I'll be right there with you every step of the way."

_Don't leave me, please don't, it's so lonely here. I want to go home. Don't leave me Calliope!_

"I'm not going anywhere."

_She read my mind…_

* * *

Callie p.o.v

I slowly entered Arizona's room; nodding to Owen who gave me a small smile and Cristina who gave my shoulder a squeeze as they left. She was so pale and looked so small and fragile in the bed, it made my heart ache. She was connected to various machines and had a blue drip running through her IV. I assume it was the 'something' Richard had given her to help her recover. Her breathing was slow, there was sweat gathering on her forehead, and every now and again her eyes would move around under her lids and her eyebrows would furrow, as if she was stuck in a nightmare that she couldn't escape.

_It's my fault._

I sat down in the chair next to her bed and ran my eyes over her face. Even when she was pale, sick and asleep, she still looked stunning, I couldn't believe I had ever chosen to believe Erica over my sweet Arizona.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened, I didn't mean to believe her over you, but when I walked in to see you holding my mother up, I didn't know what to do. You were so angry; I've never seen you like that before." I shivered at the memory; the aura that had been radiating from Arizona was so murderous, and at that point, I couldn't say for certain whether or not she would have harmed my mother. Yet under all that rage, I could sense complete sorrow; like she was crying, crying for her loss, for her suffering, but most of all it felt like a cry for help; a cry for someone to come and take away all the pain. God, I never wanted her to feel like that ever again. I was supposed to be the one that would help her, but in the end I caused her the most grief; the pain that reflected in her eyes when she saw that I was the one to… I couldn't even say the word. She had never needed to keep up her guard around me, never needed to be wary of me, never needed to protect her body against me, and I had used that against her; it was the ultimate betrayal.

"I swear, I'll do everything I can to protect you, just," I choked on my tears, "don't give up on me." The fear that sprung up at the thought that Arizona would never trust me again was palpable, paralyzing; I couldn't bear not having Arizona in my life.

"I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, even if you're angry at me, even if you hate me, I'll never leave your side. I promise." It was a promise I would keep, even if it cost me my life. I would grovel and beg at her feet for her forgiveness, even if it was just as friends… No, I couldn't even entertain that thought. We were soul mates, and I would work to prove myself worthy of standing by her side; I refuse to lose her, and I would wait forever for her.

"Ari, you just take your time." Her eyes started rapidly moving under her lids again; I slid my hand into hers and felt her settle immediately. I could feel that her hand was icy cold and I willed for it to warm up again; I could see a faint blue aura surrounding my hand and my heart calmed; it felt so peaceful, and I knew then that she would be the only ever person to reign over my heart, my entire being; everything that I was, belonged to her.

"When you're ready to wake up, I'll be right there with you every step of the way." I would, I really would. I wasn't leaving her ever again; I had made that mistake once already. Maybe it wasn't physically, but emotionally I had abandoned her; the doubt and insecurity Erica generated caused me to make the biggest mistake of my life. Her hand slowly and steadily began to increase its pressure around my fingers and I tightened my grip.

"I'm not going anywhere."

I gently wiped away the sweat from her forehead and the tear that I noticed had escaped her closed eyes.

_Not even Death can tear us apart._

* * *

It had been five days since I had last seen her blue eyes, heard her voice or felt her touch, and it had been five days since I had seen the outside of this room. The only time I had moved from my position was when Bailey, Yang, Hunt or Richard came to check on her; I had taken that time to use the bathroom to freshen up and stretch my legs. My mother came in religiously to bring me food and a change of clothes, and each time she looked more and more guilty. I felt bad for her, because I knew it wasn't her fault, but I couldn't leave Arizona's side to comfort her. Every time I moved away, Arizona became restless; she would twitch, her eyebrows would furrow, her eyes would move around rapidly and, I swear to god, she would whine; or at least making these weird noises that sounded like whining. It was ridiculously adorable and it endearing to see her as attached to me as I was her.

There was a knock on the door before Aria entered, smiling at me gently.

"Aria, oh god! I'm so sorry, it's been so crazy these last few days, I completely forgot about you. Are you okay? I still can't believe that Terri 'claimed' you like that!" I rushed out, I felt incredibly guilty for having ignored my sister; considering she was the one who found me the ticket into Arizona's room.

"Whoa, hey Cal, calm down. It's okay. _I'm_ okay. It really has been crazy, and I'm still getting used to being the whole 'bride of the Crown' thing, and having people like Richard, the Chief, and _Bailey_ bowing their heads at me. Now _that's_ insane, and all kinds of hilarious." I chuckled at Aria's light-heartedness; it relieved me to see that she was still the same old Aria. I motioned for her to come in for a hug, which she agreed to immediately, and saw her study Arizona's motionless body.

"She looks like she's doing better." She remarked, smiling gently at me, "I'm glad."

Arizona was no longer plagued by nightmares; her face was slack, full of peace and serenity, her breathing deep, body warm and aura strong. She was getting stronger everyday and I knew that her revival was imminent.

"I bet you're to thank for her speedy recovery huh? Even I can feel it, your mere presence is soothing her, and your aura is healing hers. It's amazing, this bond between you, and so strong; it's a really strong bond Callie, it's very intriguing. Not only that, you're getting stronger too Cal, I can sense your power growing, as Arizona gets stronger, and it's incredible; Arizona is so powerful. It's like I can taste her power in the air…" She trailed off and closed her eyes inhaling deeply.

"Aria…" Her behavior was alarming me, she looked at me and I noticed that her eyes were now glowing red, with tinges of white swirling around.

"Oh, sorry Cal." Her eyes flashed back to brown instantly.

"You-your eyes. What happened Aria?"

"I've been sired, and before you ask, it was totally and completely consensual, in fact, I was the one who asked her to feed from me. She was tired and hungry and I wanted to help. She said that because we were half-breeds from mama that normal feeding wouldn't be possible and we would change after the first bite. It's also something you and Arizona have to go through by the way."

"Mama told me about that part already, but Aria… It's my fault." The guilt I had previously felt multiplied. If it wasn't because of me, Aria wouldn't have been 'traded' to Terri, and she wouldn't have been in close contact with her; so she wouldn't have needed to offer her blood. Dammit, this was becoming a great big mess.

"Hey, no it's fine. Besides, like I said, it was my choice." I decided to let the issue go for now; Aria was as stubborn as I was and there would be no way to win the argument, so best to put an end to it for now.

"So, you said you could sense us?"

"Oh yeah, I've been training with Thalia and Clio these last couple of days and I have learnt so much. Besides the aura reading, they've also helped me with fighting and also accessing my latent powers; which we've discovered is 'Thought', which means I can literally read someone's mind. We're still working on it though, because I can only read non-vampires at the moment, those with stronger minds are still a problem for now. Cool huh?" I stared in astonishment; so much had happened in 5 days, and my sister was now a marked vampire with the power to read minds. Talk about mind-blowing.

"What was that whole thing earlier on when you were talking about mine and Arizona's bond?" Her behavior was really shocking and I was worried about there being adverse consequences to her being sired. She blushed and looked at me sheepishly.

"Sorry about that, it's just, you know that the Royals are strong, and I think it's because Arizona's going through the 'revival', so she's wounded, unconscious and completely unaware, but her energy is filling this room to the brim; it's everywhere and so very distracting. The only time I've ever felt this was when I was watching Terri and Tim spar; I think it's because Arizona's control is impaired right now, but yeah, like I said: distracting." She suddenly straightened up from where she was leaning against the edge of Arizona's bed and looked towards the door, excitement written clearly all over her face.

"What's the matter Aria?"

"Oh, nothing, I've just sensed Terri heading this way." She replied with glee. I tilted my head curiously; it was weird to see her excited of the prospect of seeing the vampire. I didn't have long to contemplate as the door opened and as expected, Terri walked through.

* * *

"Calliope, Ariadne." She said jovially, in greeting.

"What do you want?" I narrowed my eyes at her, still wary of her intentions and resentful of her treatment of my mother and sister.

"It's time for her to feed."

"She doesn't need to, she has me, and I'm healing her. You can sense it too, right?"

"You're here to heal her wounded soul and I'm here to heal her wounded body. Despite what you may think, I _do_ want Arizona fit and healthy again."

"Yeah, so you can use her to kill for you." She sighed at my attitude; I knew I was being unfair, but Terri still irritated me.

"Callie!" came Aria's shocked voice.

"I _will_ do this, with _or_ without your consent. The faster her body recovers, the easier it'll be for you to heal her soul and the quicker she'll return to us." I thought about this for a moment before I nodded. "Besides, the transference will help you as well, it'll make you stronger."

She approached Arizona and cut her wrist, bringing it up to Arizona's mouth. The result was instant, as the moment the blood entered her system I felt a wave of energy consume my body; it was intense and invigorating and I felt energized. Moments passed before Terri finally removed her wrist, licking at the wound and sealing it instantly; I could still feel the lingering power tingling in my body.

"When Arizona wakes up we'll be relocating to another place. We'll need somewhere more secure in order to train you both and Aria. Your mother has offered your house back in Miami; she says that she has enough rooms for all of us and you have a home gym, which provides a space big enough for our activities. She says that your father will be away during the time we'll need the accommodation so you don't have to worry about him; although she says it's unwarranted, because she sired him years ago after they got married and he's aware of the current situation. I believe your mother has been keeping him updated." She left soon after with Aria trailing behind her, leaving me alone with Arizona again.

I was excited at the prospect of going home to Miami, and even though the thought that my mom had sired my dad was disturbing, it made sense. They were deeply in love, even now, and they obviously wanted a _very_ long life together.

_I know how they feel; I want that, with Arizona. _I looked at Arizona, _just come back to me now, baby._

* * *

I was woken in the middle of the night by movement; when I opened my eyes I was shocked to be met by ice cold blue ones.

"Arizona…"

She was staring at me intently; eyes hard, face blank, and aura cold.

"Calliope." Her voice was so low and husky it made it shiver.

"You're awake!" Relief flooded through my body and excitement grew, I stood up to call for Bailey, but her grip on my hand stopped me.

"Calliope" she repeated. I turned to look at her and she pulled me in for a hard kiss, drawing a moan from me.

"I've missed you Ari."

"Stay" came the low command, she gestured to the bed and I was powerless. I crawled in beside her and buried into her shoulder, desperate for the contact, and her arms came around me tightly.

As we drifted off to sleep, I could feel that there was something different. In the back of my mind I knew that Arizona had changed, she seemed colder and more dominant, and she didn't ask but had _commanded_ me to get into bed with her. Was this the result of the revival? It felt and sounded like Arizona, but she was different. I prayed that this was temporary and that the old Arizona was still here. I wouldn't know what to do if I was stuck with this version of Arizona.

* * *

General p.o.v

Word of Arizona's awakening had spread and they had shortly relocated to Miami. Richard, Owen and Cristina had stayed behind to guard Seattle, but Bailey had accompanied them.

"What do you want to do first Ari? Terri said that we had the first 2 days to ourselves and I really want to show you around my hometown." Callie asked Arizona, who was currently standing by the balcony in Callie's room.

"Ari?" she called out when she received no response from the blonde. "Are you okay?"

Arizona approached Callie, who was standing in front of her queen-sized bed, and stopped directly in front of her, barely a feet separating them.

"Ari-"

"I've spent the last 5 days locked in my head, alone and confused." The voice was emotionless and Callie felt goosebumps cover her skin, "What I _want_ do to; is be with my mate." She was pushed onto her bed and she could feel the excitement build.

"A-"

"_Now"_

* * *

When Callie woke up in the afternoon, she found herself alone in bed. After getting dressed, she made her way to the kitchen to be met with knowing grins from Addison, Mark, Teddy and Aria. Alex, Lexie, Tim, and Bailey sat by the table deep in conversation; Arizona, Terri, Thalia, and Clio nowhere in sight.

"Hey, where'd Arizona go?" Callie asked a still grinning Mark.

"She disappeared with Terri, Thalia and Clio an hour ago, no idea where to."

"I believe they're in the gym Calliope," came Lucia's voice as she entered the room, "but they should be done soon. Terri wanted you to take Arizona out to see the sights; have a relaxing day to rejuvenate the mind." _And to get to know _this_ Arizona_ was the unspoken message that Callie understood instantly.

"Right, guess I'll take her to that park we used to go to then."

"Excellent idea, there shouldn't be too many people around at this time so you'll be able to properly appreciate its beauty."

Terri and Arizona returned shortly and then they were off to the park.

"This is where I spent a lot of my time before I left for college. I stumbled upon it by accident once and I haven't been able to stop myself from returning." Callie explained. Arizona had remained alarming silent during their journey and Callie was getting worried.

The park was beautiful, it really was, but Arizona was distracted by the overwhelming scent of vampires in the vicinity. She glanced around at the rare few people enjoying the scenery; there weren't many of them, an elderly couple sitting by the bench feeding the ducks, a married couple pushing their baby in a stroller beside the lake, and a few children playing in the playground with their parents watching on nearby. They made their way further into the park where there were a small group of trees planted close together giving off an image of a small forest, when a cry caught their attention. It was faint, but they could clearly hear the sounds of a child crying; making their way deeper into the trees, they came across a small girl, roughly 8 or 9, crouched down sobbing.

"Oh sweetie, are you okay, where are your parents?" The girl stood up and came towards them, Callie went to move to the girl, but was blocked by Arizona who had suddenly pushed the girl backwards violently. The girl fell to the floor and burst into tears again.

"Arizona! What are you doing?" Callie ran to the girl's side when she suddenly snapped her head up, eyes black, fangs aiming at her arm.

A bolt of lightning so strong and so fast appeared from behind, striking the girl straight in the head, that there was no time for blood as she imploded and disappeared. Callie turned and was shocked by the disturbingly calm aura that radiated off of Arizona's body.

"She was a vampire." She stated simply and moved to help Callie to her feet. Callie looked at her, trying to get a read on her, but all she got was calm and coldness. It was horrifying how nonchalant she was at destroying the little girl.

"_No, this is wrong. This isn't my Arizona. Where is the guilt? The pain? Arizona would never take the life of a child so easily. This isn't Arizona."_

"Arizona-"

"Why do you insist on calling me that? I don't like it." Callie was taken aback by the question; it felt wrong to call her Artemis, or anything else, when all her life she had known her as Arizona.

"Why do you insist on calling me 'Calliope'? _I_ hate that." She shot back.

"Because it's your name."

"Exactly, Arizona is _your_ name, I like that name; I'm not going to call you anything else."

Arizona shrugged before holding her hand for Callie to take, "there are more vampires around, _Hades' _vampires and you need to get to safety before I take care of them."

Looking around, all Callie saw were children, teenagers and a few adults. "Now? _Here_?"

"Yup" was the excited reply, "or you could stay hidden between the trees in here and wait for me to get back. I don't want you to get hurt Calliope."

Arizona's voice had turned gentler and loving towards the end and Callie could see the remnants of the old Arizona appearing, before it disappeared quickly as her eyes grew purple, with hints of gold swirling in the centre. The last thing she saw was Arizona's excited grin as she rushed towards the families that had gathered for a day out at the park, screams filling her ears as one by one children and pregnant women were brought to their death.

Callie stared in horror, hands covering her mouth in shock, eyes wide open; she willed her ears to ignore the screams and her brain to erase the memories of the children covered in blood.

"_Who is she?"_


	16. Chapter 16: The Truth

A.N: This chapter is the longest one I've written so far, and that makes me really proud actually!

Right need to address one thing, the rating is purely for language and violence, there shall be not explicit sex scenes. None whatsoever! Besides, it's really not my style, so apologies to anyone who was really looking forward to it.

I've also noticed new followers! Thanks! It's great to know that ya'll are so interested in the story, so I'll do my best not to disappoint!

**To nikki: **I'm honoured that you chose to review my story! Thanks for reading! I'll do my best to get more chapters up soon.

**To guest:** Yes! Arizona is being demanding, but it's all part of the 'new' her.

**To Iamnotapotatoe:** Firstly, I keep spelling your username wrong o.O, so if I ever do spell it wrong sorry, I get a bit carried away with the 't-a-t-o'. And secondly, Artemis _is_ freaky right? But totally hardcore though no?

Once again, many thanks to **2damnpretty2die**, my captain, my yoda and my super awesome beta!

* * *

Chapter 16: The Truth

Callie p.o.v

I can't believe I'm standing here, _here_ of all places, waiting to talk to her. Well, waiting's not the right word; it's more like I'm trying to gather the courage and nerve to walk into the room; my father's office, which was now acting as her office. I stared at the heavy wooden door and thought back to all the times I would try to sneak in to see my father when I was younger, he would always put aside his work to spend time with me; it always bought a smile to my face, but now that door brought nothing but apprehension and fear.

_Dammit Torres, come one, she's the only one who can help._

I thought back to why I was in this predicament; it all happened when Arizona and I had returned from the park.

_*Flashback*_

"_Ari, what _was_ that?" I asked, full of concern and fear. Not fear of Arizona, never of Arizona, but fear of her losing herself, her true self._

"_Hm? What do you mean?" she replied, voice laced with innocence._

"_In the park, all those children and teenagers. You barely even blinked every time you killed one." The horror was slowly creeping itself into my voice and she arched an eyebrow at me._

"_They were Hade's men, all marked by him and they had all gathered themselves so close to your house. It's suspicious, and I took care of the issue before it could become a problem." Her voice was flat and held absolutely no remorse for her actions. It wasn't right._

"_But they were children!" I could feel the tears gathering behind my eyes, tears that Arizona used to cry, but now they were mine. _

"_Calliope," her tone was soft and gentle, she raised a hand and placed it against my cheek, she was so warm, "I had to protect you. That's all I care about."_

_I opened my mouth to reply, but was silenced by her lips as she straddled me on the bed. All I could think about was how much we hadn't talked about, just like when we first got here, she refused to talk about her coma and had instead dominated me in bed._

_*End Flashback*_

I could still feel the aches and pains in my body and the muscles that hadn't been used in a long time, she had _really_ given me a workout last night. Finally, before I had the chance to talk myself into backing out again, I knocked on the door and opened it. I immediately saw Terri sitting behind the large desk, laptop open and surrounded by paper, a pen and a book in hand, eyebrows furrowed.

"I was wondering when you'd actually come in. I was starting to think that you were going to spend the entire night pacing outside the door." She hadn't looked up from the book in her hands, but I could hear the amusement in her tone as her mouth curled into a grin.

"I-I have something to ask you." Dammit, why was I so nervous around her?

"Naturally. I didn't think you were pacing outside the door and storming in just to check up on me. The only Torres who's willing to do that is Ariadne, even your mother chooses to avoid this hallway if possible."

"Right, well-I-um… I…" I started to stutter like a maniac; I briefly wondered if Terri thought I was crazy, because I sure as hell was worried about my mental health.

"Is this about Artemis?" She threw me a bone, hoping to help me get the thoughts out of my head.

"Um, yes… but no. Kind of?" Really Torres? _That's_ all you can say?

"Do I need to get Aria in here to read your mind? Or should I do it and save you the hassle and embarrassment from your sister hearing your deep dark dirty thoughts?" She inquired tone full of mirth. I swear she was enjoying this.

"We're having sex!" I blurted out randomly, "A lot of sex, like a ridiculous amount of sex. Every time I try to talk to her, she just pushes me onto the bed and ravishes me. I love her and I love having sex with her, but sometimes, enough is enough you know? And I know I shouldn't complain about having too much sex, but I'm tired and sore, but Arizona still wants more!" I started rambling and didn't really take the time to reconsider the words coming out of my mouth. When I stopped and realised what I had just admitted to, I turned bright red; Terri finally looked up at me, putting her pen down and arching an eyebrow at me and I _so_ wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

_Oh my god! I just ranted to the Crown Princess about her cousin having too much sex with me. This is why I didn't want to do this. Why the hell is she just staring at me? Oh god, this is embarrassing._

"… Right, and you want me to do _what_ exactly?" Terri's voice was laced heavily with laughter that she was desperately trying to hold in, "I could get Thalia to play tag-team with you if you want?"

"No!" I screamed, "Ugh, that's not really the problem, the problem is that Arizona has changed, like a lot. It all started after she woke up, she didn't ask or talk about anything; she'd just asked me to crawl into bed with her. Then when we first got here yesterday morning, I asked her what she wanted to do, hoping she'd talk about what happened or what she saw whilst she was unconscious, but she had just pushed me onto the bed and fucked me into forgetting about the issue. She had disappeared before I could wake up and talk to her though.

Then just yesterday afternoon when we went out to the park, when we walked into a wooded area, there was a crying little girl, she was only about 8 or 9, but she almost attacked me, and Arizona _destroyed_ her. I don't mean killed her, I actually mean destroyed, like she completely imploded and turned to dust, no blood, no splatter, nothing. She then said that it was covered with vampires, all with Hades' scent, but when I looked around, all I saw were children, teenagers, pregnant women and an elderly couple. She'd insisted they were vampires and told me to hide behind the trees whilst she annihilated everyone with a smirk on her face. She didn't hold back, there was no hesitation whatsoever; she looked like she was _enjoying_ it!

When we got back I tried to talk to her about what had happened, talk to her about her change and what went on during her revival, but she'd pounced and screwed me into submission! As in 'wouldn't stop until I passed out' submission, and when I woke up this morning I was alone and she was gone again." I let out a breath at the end, almost panting at the sudden explosion of words, and stared at Terri hoping for an answer.

Terri looked thoughtful, all earlier amusement and mirth disappearing completely and there was something in her eyes; I think it was sorrow, but she had closed her eyes before I could get a good read on her.

"You knew it would happen Callie, the change. Arizona was sacrificed in order to fulfil the prophecy." There was something else, I was sure of it. I could tell by Terri's cryptic statement, but I knew that she wasn't going to share with me. Maybe it was because she wasn't sure, but I knew she was hiding something. "The only thing you can do is support her Calliope; _that_ is your destiny." I knew I was being dismissed so I turned to leave, before I closed the door, I could see Terri leaning back in the huge chair, sighing and looking forlornly out the window. I was left with more questions that I had when I first entered the room. _What was Terri hiding? Why wasn't she telling me anything? What was wrong with Arizona?_

It bugged me that Terri still didn't trust me. I thought that being bonded with Arizona would finally make her trust me more, as we now had a mutual link, not to mention the fact that she was also somewhat bonded with Aria, but apparently it meant nothing to her, _what a bitch!_ I shook my head and wandered off to find my mother, hoping that she would be more forthcoming with answers. I refused to believe that Arizona would forever be turned into a ruthless killing machine; there must be a way to reverse this. _There had to._

* * *

My mother turned out to be even less useful, she had no idea of anything other than what the prophecy had foretold, she wasn't sure if there _was_ a way to reverse this. So much for my heartfelt speech about saving Arizona and Artemis, protecting the both of them. I felt so useless.

Tim had called us all into the gym, and when I entered with my mother, I found that we were the last to arrive.

"Ah great, everyone's here." Tim greeted happily. "So you know that we've all got to start getting serious and properly training all the younger vampires, so Bailey and I set up a barrier up in this room. It enables us to fight at full power without destroying the walls or alerting any scouts or strays of our presence. Our auras can't be sensed from the outside, so don't hold back… Well, maybe Terri, Arizona and I shouldn't go all out, I don't think our barrier's _that_ strong." He commented teasingly. "Anyway, we've got to test everyone, so we're going have a little scrimmage, all against all, last man standing kind of thing. Anything goes, weapons, powers, hidden weapons, anything. And as an extra, you've got to work hard to stay out of each other's way. The limit is first blood drawn by a direct attack; it doesn't count if you accidentally get hurt. So, who wants to get this thing started?" He looked around gleefully and everyone avoided eye contact.

Arizona stepped forward calmly, smirk on her face and excitement reflected in her eyes. "Why don't I make this more interesting for everyone? 1 versus all; I'll take you all on." We all gasped in shock and surprise; needless to say, no one really wanted to take Arizona on, especially not since her entire persona had yet to drift away from the constant coldness and calmness since her awakening.

Alex was the first to step forward; Seal releasing straight off the bat, eyes turning purple with flecks of gold flickering back and forth. Arizona grinned in anticipation at her prized protégé's attack. He charged at her and she swiftly and gracefully twirled out of the way, fingers straightened and claws sharpened as she swung at him, diagonally, leaving behind a deep gash across his body. Blood splattered across her face and she looked at him and grinned. "You're out."

Alex stared back in shock at how fast he had been overcome and stalked back off to his corner, grumbling, but at the same time, there was pride shining in his eyes at his Sire's power and skill.

"That was easy," she remarked smugly, "Come on, it'll be no fun one on one, I said _all_, so come at me. All of you at once." No one moved, and she let out a sigh, "Fine, if you won't come at me, I'll come at you." She raised her arm to the side, parallel with her body, purple sparks forming around her palm, before a silver sword with a gold handle that had a purple and gold jewel encrusted on the hilt, materialized into her hand.

"What is that?" I asked confused.

"That is another power of the Royal bloodline. It's similar to how vampires' powers can manifest into elements; the Royals have the ability to manifest their power into a physical form, a weapon, like a sword." Came the calm reply from my mother; clearly she had witnessed this before, probably from Poseidon.

The appearance of Arizona's weapon had caused everyone to leap into motion, and within mere moments, with a few twists and twirls, everyone was cut down, literally. It was as if she was dancing, so graceful, yet deadly. It was a sight to behold. To my surprise, even Aria had participated, throwing flames and electric bolts at Arizona, but she was taken out by a cut to the forearm and a blow across the head, before being kicked back onto the ground.

Finally, Tim, Thalia and Clio joined the fold, Tim summoning his own silver blade with a golden handle which had a navy and gold jewel encrusted on his. Thalia and Clio had subdued Arizona, taking hold of both her arms and pulling them backwards, but they were dispelled by a sudden release of purple energy and thrown upwards. Arizona jumped upwards towards them and in a flash, had them slammed back to the floor, both with wounds across their abdomen.

Tim's sudden appearance behind her had caught her off guard, and she barely had time to lift her sword before clashing with her brother, releasing a powerful wave of energy that knocked us all off our feet. Clash after clash, strike after strike; they were stuck at a stalemate with Tim forcing her backwards and down to her knees. She smirked at him before suddenly being enveloped in a golden aura that surrounded her like a halo, I found my body heating up as if it was on fire and looked to see my hands glowing a faint golden color; catching her brother off guard, she rushed at him, sword at the ready and stopped 2 feet away from him, sword pointed at his chest.

She tilted her head and grinned at him, declaring loudly, "You lose brother," before forcing her sword into his chest; no hesitancy, no remorse, and Tim gasped in shock at the unexpected move.

Seeing the final opponent had been defeated, my mother rushed towards Aria's side. The sudden movement caught Arizona's attention, and without second thought, she pulled her blade from Tim and swung at my mother's head.

"Ari, no!" I screamed. My mother turned in alarm at my cry and her eyes widened as Arizona's blade came at her. It was stopped, inches from her face, by a hand. Terri's hand. She had flashed in front of my mother and stopped Arizona's power driven sword with her bare hand. Arizona narrowed her golden purple eyes in arrogance at her before her aura flared up again, pushing back against Terri. Terri calmly disregarded her and her own aura flared up, blood red eyes appearing at Arizona's energy spike and the pressure in the room increased to suffocating levels, bringing us all to our knees in pain. The purple in Arizona began to disappear as gold took over, the burning sensation returning to my body and increasing to painful levels as her energy kept growing. A sudden flash of white caused Arizona to drop to her knees in submission as silver swirled around Terri's body, but she refused to back down as she increased her own energy and pushed against Terri, desperate to defeat her. I let out a cry as the pain erupted to tortuous levels and Arizona's energy receded immediately. I felt myself fall forwards as the pressure disappeared and my body succumbed to the pain, I was caught before I hit the ground, by a calm Arizona, who looked over me with indifference, but I could see the concern and worry lurking in her eyes.

"That's enough for today. Take the time to recover and feed, and we'll revisit this tomorrow, perhaps with less fury and force next time." Terri dismissed us all and left before anyone could protest; Aria following quickly with concern clearly displayed on her face.

I looked around to see everyone making their way out the door, covered in bruises and blood, glancing at Arizona in disbelief, and made my way to my feet with Arizona supporting my weight. I felt weak and unsteady, and I couldn't understand why I had started burning up when Arizona released her golden aura. I looked to my mother who was still standing in shock and then turned to Arizona who had disappointment written all over her face. _What the hell was going on?_

* * *

The next day, both Aria and Terri were missing, and Tim had taken over training for the day. He had set us up in pairs for sparring: Addie and Teddy, Mark and Alex, Lexie and I, and Arizona and Tim; I had concerns over the arrangement considering Arizona had wiped the floor with her brother, grinning the entire way through, but Tim had dispelled my fears saying that he was the _only_ one who stood a chance at holding up against her. The keyword was 'chance', which meant he wasn't 100% sure he could defeat her as she was now. Thalia and Clio had been given the task of watching over us, giving advice whenever needed and stepping in whenever someone went too far and Bailey was on standby for healing.

I stood panting, staring across at my partner Lexie, who had yet to break a sweat. It angered me; Lexie was the most passive member of the group, she hated violence and fighting and would rather use her brain than force, yet she was here, kicking my ass. I thought back to what my mother had told me about the sensations I felt yesterday and felt determination stir up.

"_Your powers are linked Calliope. As her mate, she draws strength from you and you provide the support she needs. She needed more power and your body reacted to the command, giving her everything you had. You're not used to the power drain yet, you're not even used to fighting, so it's going to take a toll on your body. What you felt was only a part of it, Arizona hadn't drained a lot from you, but as you currently are, you cannot handle it. You need to complete the ritual before the both of you can fully utilise the power."_

"_Complete the ritual? I thought it was done already?"_

"_Artemis may have woken up, but your bond is incomplete. She is currently bonded with a mortal, you need to be sired and granted the ability to access the energy that comes from the change before you can fully assist her."_

"_Can't we do that now? I mean we're only missing one more step right?"_

"_I'm afraid not Calliope. The ritual has to be completely willingly, from both participants; it has to be of true heart, body, mind and soul; you're not ready yet."_

"_I'm ready, I've already given Arizona everything that I am."_

"_But you still fear her no? Her change, her personality, her power, and her initiative. It scares you, and that is holding her back from completing the ritual."_

"_Is there nothing I can do?"_

"_You need to become stronger, if you cannot complete the ritual, then you must become stronger in order to be able to handle the drain. You must train your body, or the drain might kill you."_

I wanted to be useful to her; I didn't want to burden her. I had vowed to become the person worthy of being her soul mate, but I was holding her back from accessing her full power. My weakness was taking away the power she needed, and after last night, I pledged to train myself harder. Perhaps by exposing myself to the constant battles and violence I would no longer be afraid of her. I could only pray that it worked, I couldn't lose Arizona.

Lexie had launched another burst of flames that I had barely avoided; I tripped over my feet and landed on the ground with a loud bang.

"Callie, do you want to take a break?" Lexie's voice was full of concern, and I couldn't bare the look on her face. I could see Arizona looking at me with interest and I gritted my teeth, pulling myself to my feet.

"No, carry on. I can take it."

"But-"

"Do it Lexie!" She unwillingly complied and let out a bolt of lightning that shocked me to the core. _Fuck_. I could feel myself flying through the air; there was a gust of wind, before soft arms came around my waist. I opened my eyes to see that I was on the floor in Arizona's arms.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry Callie, I didn't mean for that to be so strong. You had the dodging down, so I thought you'd be able to avoid that. It was faster that I had anticipated, I'm so sorry!" Lexie was hysterical, and in any other time, I would have found that hilarious, but I was currently unable to move due to the lingering shocks running through my body. Arizona whipped her head up at Lexie and growled at her as she came closer, drawing a terrified 'eep!' from her. I finally got a hold of my body and laid a hand on her arm, I could feel the warm blue glow surrounding my hand again and she calmed down instantly.

"Are you okay?" her voice was low and my heart warmed at the worry laced in her tone.

"Y-yeah, just a bit shocked, literally" I give a small grin at my pun, which drew one from Arizona, but it disappeared quickly as she lifted my up, bridal style, and carried me out the hall. "I'm taking her to rest, Lexie train with Tim." She commanded with no hesitancy and walked out with me in her arms, taking me straight to our bedroom.

Laying me down, she stared at me in thought, and suddenly leaned forward to kiss me. I felt a cold shiver echo throughout in response and felt my body instantly begin to feel better. She pulled back and studied my body before pulling back all the way.

"You shouldn't train. You don't need to fight." Her tone was icy and I was stunned at the complete 180 she had done from mere moments ago.

"I want to be able to help you, to protect you."

"I don't need protecting." It almost sounded like a whine, but her body language killed that idea straight away; she was tense and irritated.

"Fine, but I need to get stronger. The sooner that happens, the sooner we'll be able to complete the ritual and you can become stronger."

Her eyes narrowed in anger. "You're doing this because of the ritual? I'd rather not complete it at all if it means you doing this to yourself. I can't have a soul mate if she's dead!" She stormed out of the room, leaving me speechless at her outburst. I couldn't help but think that in her moment of fury, the old Arizona had come out, just barely, but she was there. It gave me hope that I could save her, hope that what I was doing wasn't futile. I held on to that hope like it was my lifeline.

_I'll save you Arizona._

* * *

The next day, I came down to an empty kitchen. I glanced briefly at the clock and saw that it was 9 in the morning, I briefly wondered where everyone had wondered off to. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turned to see a sleepy Aria emerging from the hallway; what caught my attention was that she had not come from the direction of her room. _Interesting…_

"Morning Cal," she yawned

"Where were you and Terri yesterday? You weren't at training and you totally missed my getting my ass handed to me by Lexie freaking Grey." She chuckled at me and stretched before tilting her head at me.

"I had to look after Terri." She stated simply.

"Why what's wrong with her?" She looked fine when she left the hall the other day, did something happen in between?

"She was still recovering from all the feeds she had given to Arizona and Teddy, and the sudden confrontation with Arizona didn't help. She'd burned her hand, and sliced it, almost all the way through, from stopping Arizona's attack on mama."

"I didn't notice at all is she going to be okay?" I was genuinely concerned about her; she seemed to be the only one able to handle Arizona's power, and I knew Arizona would be distressed over her leader's health. Wouldn't she?

"Yeah she's going to be fine, she's fed some from me and she's resting. How are you doing Cal?" I knew that she was asking about Arizona, but I really didn't have an answer at the moment. Arizona was confusing me, sometimes she would be loving and caring, but most of the times, she was cold and distant; but she always came to my aid and was so gentle with me. I chose to ignore the question.

"I'm fine. Anyway, was that Terri's room I saw you coming out of this morning?" I teased. Aria was the straightest person I had ever met; when we were younger she was always going on about her newest and latest boyfriend, which changed once a week, and had spent all her time drooling over boys. Yet now, she was completely enamored by a woman and was acting like a teenager in love all over again. It was sweet, and even if I had my own issues with Terri, she was good for Aria. She made Aria more responsible; she taught her things and treated her with respect. Aria had told me about the truth behind her marking and how Terri was willing to play the villain in order to keep her safe and protected; and after hearing that, I couldn't deny that Terri was a good person, at least to Aria. It wasn't that I hated Terri, I just disagreed with her methods and attitude, and I guess I really owe her an apology for my behaviour during Arizona's coma.

Aria blushed and smiled goofily, "Yes, but not for the reason you're thinking about. Terri told me something last night in bed." I arched my eyebrow at this, "Again, not in the way you're thinking! We're just friends and we just slept, whilst I was taking care of her and whilst she was telling me about her thoughts."

"But you're disappointed right? You wanted something to happen, I mean, you practically proposed marriage to her when you requested to be sired didn't you? Or was it Terri that proposed when she claimed you and you accepted?" I laughed and Aria pouted at me, and while I could see that this was all done in jest, I noticed that there _was_ some underlying disappointment. I sobered up immediately and changed the topic.

"Right, so Terri said something?"

"Yeah, it's more like a theory though. She's been pouring over books and information she's gotten from other Seers and her father's elders, and said she might have discovered something. It's got something to do with the phrasing and interpretation. She said that 'Arizona's sacrifice' might not be what we're thinking about at all, something about being 'too literal' and 'too human'." I scoffed at the thought; vampires always did look down on mortality and humans; Aria gave me a warning look before continuing. "She said that the sacrifice doesn't actually mean losing 'Arizona' in favour of 'Artemis', but instead of suppressing 'Artemis', she's now suppressing 'Arizona'. Does that make sense?"

I thought for a moment, "Not really, sorry."

She smiled at me gently nodding in agreement, "Yeah, didn't make any sense to me either. But Terri simplified it; instead of losing Arizona's humanity, she sacrificed her conscience. The part that feels the guilt and devastation at all the killing, she's hiding it away now; and instead letting Artemis' conscience rein. So 'Arizona' is still in there, but she's just hiding away from the pain and suffering. Get it now?"

I nodded; it did make sense. I could always see Arizona in the tender moments we shared, and sometimes, when she thought I was still asleep, I could feel her gaze on me, the feeling it evoked were the same ones I always had when she looked at me. Artemis always brought me a sense of apprehension and fear. "Do you believe her?"

"I do. I trust her completely, and besides, she's the only one who knows Arizona enough to justify the theory… Sorry Cal." She winced at the expression I gave at that, "You've been separated for a long time, she's changed from the 16 year old you once knew."

"She's still the same Arizona." I stated resolutely. I refused to believe otherwise, she still gave me the same feelings I had when we were teenagers, "She's just gotten older and more mature, but she's still _my_ Arizona."

Aria held her hands up, waving a metaphorical white flag, "Don't kill the messenger, I just wanted you to know what T thinks."

_When did Aria start calling her 'T'? _I mused silently.

Any further thought was disrupted by commotion outside the house; running out to see what had happened, we saw Thalia and Clio holding a man that was covered in blood, with clothing that was torn in places being dragged into the gym.

"I'll go get Terri." Was all Aria said before she ran off to her room. I cautiously entered the gym and was horrified by the sight before me.

* * *

General p.o.v

"Who sent you?" Graham was tied to a metal chair with handcuffs; he was covered in blood from his earlier feeding and his clothes were torn in the scuffle with the two female vampires.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He was a fighter, a great one at that, and had been a vampire for the last 200 years; he refused to be broken by two _little girls_.

"Don't play coy, we can sense the mark. Hiding won't do you any good!" Clio was fuming; she hadn't expected to encounter the vampire a mere 2 blocks from the Torres residence.

"Then you'll know that my master will make you all suffer for your insolence!" He snarled in return.

"Let me handle this." A cold voice came from behind Clio. He looked up into icy blue eyes and shivered.

"_What's with her eyes? They're almost as cold as Styx's" _he panicked slightly at the thought of the other vampire, _"God she's going to kill me."_

"You belong to Hades right?" It was a statement more than a question and he had no reply for it.

"Good, then I won't regret anything then." He didn't get the chance to ask anything before he was consumed by pain, radiating from his left thigh. He looked down to see a silver dagger impaled in his leg.

"Fuck! What the hell are you doing? Don't you know who I am?"

"I know _exactly_ who you are. You're Hades' trash and that pisses me off." The cool voice never wavered; the icy blue eyes seemed to stare straight into his soul. She knew who he was, she would _never_ forget his name or his face, or all the pain that he had caused her. Pain radiated from his other leg and he saw that another dagger had been impaled into his other leg.

"What the hell do you want?" _"And what the hell is up with these daggers?" _There was something laced on the daggers and it sent a burning sensation through his entire body.

"Poseidon" the single word sent fear through his body.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He screamed. Pale lips pursed, deep in thought before a smirk came over her face.

"No? Too bad for you then."

"Wha-arrrrrrrgh" She twisted the dagger in his left thigh and sent a bolt of lightning through it, aggravating the wound more than before. "Fucking bitch! I'm going to kill you! You hear me? I'm going to kill you!"

Laughter came and he was shocked to see the delight reflected in her eyes, "Oh Graham, I don't think you're in any position to make threats." She pulled another dagger from the table that was beside her and rammed it into his shoulder, twisting it as it entered.

"_What the hell is with this bitch? She's enjoying this! She's just as sadistic as Styx! Fuck!" _His body was shaking from a mixture of pain, fear and the burning sensation running up and down his body. He noticed that someone else had entered the room and shot her a pleading glance.

"Arizona… What's going on?" came the horrified voice.

"This guy works for Hades, we need information and that's where Graham here comes in. But he's not co-operating, so I'm giving him some encouragement." Arizona's voice was hollow and cold; the stare she gave him rocked him to the core. "So, where's Poseidon?" He could hear a shocked gasp come from the newcomer, but his thought was quickly over-ridden by more pain as she walked behind him and cut off a finger.

"Come on now Graham, you can spare yourself from any more pain. All you've got to do is tell us what we want to know." Her voice was full of mirth and she dragged the blade covered with his blood across his cheek. "No?" she sighed before digging the blade into his eye.

"Fuuuuuuuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fucking bitch! Hades will rule the kingdom, you will all be brought to your knees and you'll fucking regret this! I'll make sure of it!"

"And what makes you think you'll live long enough to report to Hades?" the voice full of laughter, "And what makes you think I'm scared of him?"

"He's the fucking King! He's a Royal; don't you know that? Scared now ain't ya? Now fucking lemme go before he comes!" He was desperate to escape the torture and he wasn't past using Hades' name to get out.

More laughter followed and he stared at the woman in confusion. "He's not the _only_ Royal around you know? Not even one of the top three that matter."

He stared hard at her, before finally coming to the realisation. _"No, no fucking way."_ He focused on her scent and recognised it immediately_ "Styx said she was dead! She fucking lied to me! Why the hell didn't I sense this earlier on?" _His eyes widened as he began to realise that she was playing with him, and had only just allowed her aura to be read. "_Fucking Artemis!"_ He saw the blonde man standing to the side and recognised him immediately _"Apollo! You've got to be fucking kidding me, if Artemis and Apollo are here then that means…" _He looked around, desperately searching for signs of the Crown.

"You're boring me now." Arizona took off his three remaining fingers and thumb from his left hand. "Got any answers for me yet?"

"_Fuck, fuck, fuck this hurts! What the fuck is on those blades? Fucking fuck! I can't let them know Hades has Poseidon and Aphrodite held up in the dungeon in Boston. Fuck, if they don't kill me now, Styx will slaughter me and make this look like child's play."_

"I've got it!" Came the sudden voice. He hadn't noticed anyone else entering the building; when he turned he noticed a Latina woman standing next to _"The fucking Crown! Shit!"_

Arizona nodded at Aria and summoned up her blade. "Artemis, _stop!_" The command came and she froze instantly, blade lightly digging into Graham's neck, blood trickling down heavily. She narrowed her eyes at Terri in anger.

"_He_ was part of it. I remember his face and his voice from that night!" she growled out in a voice so low, everyone felt the iciness entering them; her arm tensed up immediately.

"Art-" Terri barely had the time to say her name before she swung her arm downwards and took off his arm from the shoulder. Arizona waved away her blade, leaning close to his face, before sneering at him

"What you're feeling now, the pain? The fear? This isn't anywhere _near _as close to what I felt that night. You took everything away from me that night, and I _promise _that I'll make you pay for it. But not now, the Princess doesn't allow for it." She turned and mock bowed at Terri.

Terri felt the anger penetrate every sense. "Artemis, with me. Now!" The tone of her voice was one that no one had ever heard before, and they all recoiled with shock and fear at the power behind her words. Arizona gave one last look at Graham's bloody mess and followed Terri out the room.

Callie, still horrified from what she had just witnessed, stood speechless as Arizona passed her by without a glance. Aria's prodding brought her back to her sense and she was pulled out of the room by her sister, discretely following the two Royals.

"_What the hell just happened?"_

* * *

"What the hell was _that_?" Terri was furious, no, furious didn't even begin to cover it; she was livid. Callie had never heard her this angry before, she was worried for Arizona's well being. The two sisters had snuck up outside the office where Terri and Arizona were currently having an argument

"I did what was necessary" Arizona shot back

"Necessary? He hadn't given us any information, his mouth was tightly shut!"

"He was being too slow, I just helped him along. Gave him incentive and all." Arizona's tone was nonchalant, which wasn't helping with Terri's mood.

"That wasn't helping, you tortured him!" Terri was horrified at her actions; Arizona would _never_ have done this.

"I did what you would've done" Terri froze. She had no comeback for that. She let out a sigh; it was time to address the situation.

"You're not like me. You're different, and you're better than that" came the solemn voice.

"What does it matter anyway we got what we needed" Arizona replied indignantly, she didn't see what she had did wrong. It was _exactly_ how Terri would've handled the situation if she were in Arizona's position.

"Only because of Aria, without her we would have gotten nothing!" Terri was annoyed at how nonchalant Arizona was being.

"And the only reason Aria got what she needed was because of me. See no harm done?" She replied smugly.

"Are you fucking serious? What the hell happened to you?" She couldn't believe that Arizona was_ proud_ of what she had achieved.

"What are you talking about, this is what you've all wanted isn't it? For me to be firmer, tougher. I got the job done, you should fucking thank me for it!"

"This isn't want I wanted! This isn't like you at all. I know you!"

"You _knew_ me. You know nothing of what I am now. How I think, how I feel; you know nothing!" Silence took control of the room. Outside, Callie was shaking with emotions that were going crazy. She couldn't believe how angry Terri was, how naïve and stubborn Arizona was being; she wanted to interrupt, but with the current emotions flying around in the room, she didn't think it was safe.

* * *

"Why are you being like this?" Terri sighed, defeated.

"This is who I am now, and what happened before is a part of that" Arizona was slightly calmer now; hearing Terri's defeated voice.

"Callie told me about what happened in the park. It was ruthless and unprovoked" Arizona was confused by the sudden change of topic.

"They were Hades' men, and they're all despicable, I did what I had to do. Like I said it's a necessity, it's what you would have wanted"

"I wanted you to be happy, to be free from guilt. I didn't want you to suffer anymore, this is nothing like what I wanted!"

"Then you should have thought of that before you _allowed_ Lucia to engage my revival" Her tone was bitter, she never agreed to the revival; it was done without consent, she didn't want it and she _hated_ them for it.

"I didn't allow anything!" Terri roared; anger reaching new heights. "I fought for you, and I would have gladly thrown away the survival of our clan if it meant you could remain the way you were. Lucia didn't give me a choice! Erica didn't give me a choice! Calliope didn't give me a choice! Toby didn't give me a choice! Not even my father gave me a fucking choice! I've had no control over anything; I was born into the Zeus bloodline, so I _had_ to be brought up in a certain way. Toby died so; I _had_ to become the new Crown. Erica gave Callie Cronus' blade, who then stabbed you with it and I _had_ to put you into a coma and initiate your revival. Hades is fucking rebelling, so I _have _to lead the army to protect the throne. My father's gone fucking missing, so I _have_ to take over as interim Queen. So tell me Arizona, when have I _ever_ been given the choice to do anything?" Terri was getting paler and paler; her body still weak from sharing her blood and Arizona's attack. "If it ever came down to it, I would give my life in order for your happiness; I would gladly give away the Crown and the responsibility of the bloodline, if it meant I could have my freedom back. _If_ I were given the choice, I would gladly give away everything if it meant saving you. I wished that Toby was still alive so I didn't have to carry this burden; he was prepared for this, he could've handled this. I wished that Toby was still alive and I had died that day instead." Arizona inhaled sharply at this and outside the door, Callie and Aria gasped in surprise. "_This_ is not what I wanted and don't you _dare_ ever suggest that again!"

Terri was panting by the end and she fell back onto the couch in the room; head in her hands, trying to control her breathing. She was losing control quickly. Arizona stared in shock; she had never seen Terri so distressed; she was always so composed. They had never once suspected that Terri had so much resentment against her father and her brother; when Toby died and she was crowned, she had never made a single complaint. Every time she was _expected_ to do something, she did so without objection. She had _never_ protested anything she was made to do in the last 20 years, she had always taken it in stride, and _no one _had ever paused to think about what she wanted or needed. It was always about the sake of the kingdom. Always.

"T…" Arizona was speechless.

* * *

"Why are you hiding so much? Don't you know you're hurting Callie?" She sounded so tired, and Arizona felt guilty for causing her distress. She studied Terri's exhausted and defeated posture, _"Time for the truth then." _Outside the door, Callie perked up at the mention of her name.

"It's the only way…" she looked out the window, sadness and guilt overcoming her, "We need strength and power to defeat Hades, and we can't afford to have me holding everyone back. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was the reason we lost… the reason you died" Her voice was gentle and sincere, her true self finally coming out after hiding for so long. Callie felt tears in her eyes hearing _her_ Arizona speak.

"We need strength during battle, but we are not in battle now. So why are you still hiding?"

"Because it's the only way I can survive. It hurts _so_ much, and every time I think it'll get better, that I'll get used to it, something else happens and I feel like a monster all over again. I need to suppress everything in order to maintain control for the sake of our future" She didn't like it, but she was convinced it was the only way she could survive without the suffering. Aria looked at Callie with a knowing look, silently passing on the 'I told you so' message.

"That's what Calliope is for. She's there to take away the pain, the guilt, and the resentment, the idea of being a monster" Her voice was calm, as if afraid to scare the woman off.

"The feeling is too great and devastating, it's not a burden I want to place on her. It's not fair to ask that of her"

"You're not giving her the choice. I think you're underestimating her tolerance and her power. And you're already being unfair to her." Her voice was laced with conviction and Arizona snapped her head around at the sudden change in attitude. "She's your soul mate, yet you treat her as if she were your concubine. You're cold and you hide away your true feelings, yet you still bed her in order for your bond to take away _your_ suffering. You're taking away the consent and knowledge from her, she doesn't even know what she's partaking in or what you're doing, and _that_ is unfair" Arizona's eyes widened and her body slumped over slightly; Terri sighed at her reaction; obviously the thought had never crossed her mind.

"Even if you were to hide away from the world. She is the one person you shouldn't hide from. She is someone who'll accept your faults and flaws and still love you, stand strongly by your side supporting you through your ruthless decisions, yet still be willing to calm your soul and heal your wounds at night. Isn't that what she is doing? She may not be aware of it, but even as horrified and disturbed she may be at your actions, is she not still by your side every night holding you, loving you?"

* * *

"Did you know that Calliope is afraid of you now?" Arizona looked up in shock and Callie winced at her admission. She never wanted Arizona to think she was scared of her, Artemis maybe, but never Arizona.

"What?" Her voice quivered in fear of Callie's fear of her.

"She's afraid of Artemis and what she can and has been doing. There is no doubt that Calliope loves you and you her. Even Artemis acknowledges her as your mate; but she doesn't care for Callie as much as you do. And that makes Callie fear you. Have you not wondered why the ritual has yet to be completed? I _know_ it's not from a lack of trying on your part, but every time you go to sire her, something stops you right?" Arizona nodded, "It's because of her fear. She doesn't fully accept you, nor is she willing to give herself over to the unknown. She wants to help you, but she doesn't want to see you turn into a monster."

"I don't know what to do" She had tears in her eyes threatening to fall; she loved Calliope and _never_ wanted her to fear her. And for her to be the reason for Callie's mistrust and fear… It killed her.

"Talk to her, let her understand. She doesn't possess the same knowledge as I do, and she will never confront nor question you. Do you not think that she is still plagued by the guilt of causing this, by nightmares of injuring you, and the devastation of sitting by your unmoving body day and night for 5 days?" Terri was happy that she was finally getting through the thick outer shell of Arizona's defence. She was so tired of having to deal with so much shock and so many questions from her team that she wasn't even sure of how to answer. Callie froze, she wasn't aware that Terri knew of her nightmares and fears; beside her, Aria chuckled and whispered into her ear "Terri's more perceptive than you think, she sees and notices _everything._"

"You say that we do not know your thoughts and feelings, but do you know _hers_?"

Arizona looked lost and devastated. She didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't want to hurt Callie anymore, but she was so afraid of what would happen if she refused Artemis' instincts. She didn't think that she'd be able to handle it, but the thought of losing Callie hurt more. Seeing the look on Arizona's face, she tried one last time to help her.

"Arizona," She insisted, nodding towards the door where Callie and Aria were hidden behind, "_talk _to her."

* * *

A.N – I've had Arizona and Terri's confrontation in my head for _days_. I'm so happy to finally get it out! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	17. Chapter 17: Complete

A.N – Don't let the title fool you, we are _nowhere_ near complete! =]

Ooooh new followers and readers! Yay! It makes me excited to see ya'll are enjoying my story, although there might be chances that there's 'too much dialogue'? I'll apologise for that, but the dialogues make the story, hell if I could I would just get people to act it out; it would convey the scenes so much better.

Once again many thanks to the regular readers **nikki **and **Jessica Torres-Robbins **and all of you **Guests** I have no idea how many of you there are, or if you're all the same person, but thanks anyway!

Captain **2damnpretty2die **is absolutely awesome and I love her to bits!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 17: Complete

Callie p.o.v

"_Talk to her"_

Before I knew what was happening, Aria had pulled open the door; Terri, who had already been looking in our direction, and Arizona, who had turned around when the door swung open, immediately spotted us.

_Shit!_

Any thoughts I had were forgotten as I saw the devastation, the distraught and pain displayed all over Arizona's face. Anger took over and I stormed over to Terri, who was sitting on the couch. I grabbed her by the lapels of her jacket and lifted her up.

"What the hell was that?"

"What do you think you are doing Calliope?" Terri's voice was calm, and it irritated the hell out of me.

"Who do you think you are? Saying all of those things to Arizona, it was uncalled for!" My hands tightened and began to shake from all the anger pouring out of me.

"Cal, let go!" Aria's voice was frantic, "What are you doing Callie, let go!"

Terri waved her off before removing my hands from her with ease. "_You_ came to me for help, did you not? I said to her the things that _you_ are unable to."

"This is not what I asked of you. I asked you to help _me_. Help me understand what was going on, help me help Arizona! You had no right saying those things to her!" I spat at her.

"No right? Then who does? _You_?" she scoffed at the idea, "Your so called help means to stay silently by her side whilst she spirals into darkness. It's been 2 weeks since Arizona has awoken and what have _you_ done?"

My fists clenched by my sides, I couldn't believe what she was saying to me.

"T, stop." Arizona's quiet voice cut in, and my heart broke. She sounded so small and dejected, and it was all because of _her._

"Why should I? She came to me asking for help because she didn't know how to help you. She's afraid and she won't even admit it. What has she _really_ done to help you Arizona? She's done nothing, she's not even trying, and she's relying purely on your bond. She believes that just because you are bonded, you can't be separated, but that's not how to works Calliope. If you don't fight for her, you'll lose her anyway. So tell me _Calliope_, what does Arizona really mean to you?"

The rage consumed my body at her insinuations, I couldn't believe that she thought that I had given up on Arizona; I would _never_ do that. My vision clouded briefly and I could vaguely register my hand glowing gold as it collided with her cheek. She fell back onto the couch; head dipped and still turned to her right from when I punched her…

_I punched her? Shit!_

"Callie! What are you doing?"

"Calliope!"

Both Aria and Arizona spoke at the same time; Aria rushed to Terri's side, but was waved away again. I knew that I should feel scared, horrified even, that I had just attacked one of the strongest vampires within a 100 mile radius, and that she could probably kill me with her pinky. But the anger was so strong.

"_Don't you dare suggest that I don't love Arizona?!_" My voice was low and tainted with pure hatred. "She's my life and I would do anything to protect her. I've been seeking as many answers as I can to help her. I've been by her side, at all times, even when I've been afraid of what she can do, what she _has_ done. I've been there; I'm not leaving her side. I promised her and I'm not breaking that promise. Not now, not ever!" My chest was heaving; I couldn't suppress my emotions anymore. Behind me, I could hear Arizona's low gasp at my confession.

"And what about you? What have you done to help her? You won't even admit your hand in this situation. You failed to help Arizona when the revival was initiated. My mother at least had the guts to admit her faults. She had admitted she was wrong to allow the revival happening, but she's been trying everything she can to help reverse this. She admitted she was wrong for erasing Arizona's memory, and has been trying to help her by helping me become stronger for Arizona. But you? You won't admit to being wrong for not training Arizona the way you did Tim. _You_ are the reason Arizona has all this guilt. You can't even admit defeat, my mother and the prophecy beat you, but you still refuse to back down. You used it to _your_ advantage, and took advantage of Aria. You claimed her knowing that my mother would be unable to refuse." I knew I was being unfair, and that Aria had already explained the truth behind it, but I was angry and trying to hurt Terri.

"You've done nothing but pretend that you're better than the rest of us. You pretend to care about us, when in reality, we're all just tools for you to claim the throne, right? You don't care about us at all, you act all high and mighty, and make us all bow down to you, when in actuality, you're just a scared little girl playing with fire, a fire that'll eventually burn you." I spat out in disgust.

"Calliope, stop!" Arizona commanded me, and I obeyed immediately. Terri looked up and I saw that she had a cut across her cheek and lip that was still bleeding. In my head, I felt guilty, but the anger and rage was taking over and I couldn't show anything but that.

"You know, this is your _last_ pass for being so disrespectful towards me. The next time this happens, I can't guarantee _what_ will happen." Her tone was tight and unreadable. I stiffened as I suddenly felt eyes on me and turned to see that Thalia and Clio had appeared and were standing by the doorway. _When did they arrive?_

"Where is he?" Terri questioned them.

"We've taken them into holding, an underground storage that Mnemosyne has. He has been sedated by Bailey and will be on constant watch." Clio replied, eyes narrowing at the cut across Terri's cheek. Thalia had not moved from her spot and was still glaring at me, sending shivers through me. Terri nodded and dismissed them before turning back to me.

"Your mother isn't as great as you think she is. She's not trying to help you, so much as trying to repent for her sins. You are her salvation, a way to clear her conscience of her past errors." Her voice was cold and calm; I tilted my head in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Mnemosyne had known of the prophecy the moment you were blessed with the name 'Iphigenia', she just didn't know how it would affect her or you. When you first introduced Arizona as your best friend and later girlfriend, she assumed that you would be bonded some time later in the future, and she waved away the thought of a 'sacrifice'. It wasn't until the day Poseidon got attacked that she understood. Tell me Calliope, when did your mother tell you of vampires and our history?"

* * *

I was baffled by the sudden question and had to think for a while. "I had always known of vampires, we grew up with them."

"Are you _sure_?"

I thought about it, and it hit me that I wasn't. I glanced at Aria to see her avoiding eye contact with me. _Does she know the truth?_ _How much does she already know? _I struggled as I tried to think about what my mother had told me when I was young, only to find the memory missing. She had told us about them one day and, once the shock had passed, we had accepted it as part of our lives. We didn't question it, and it would seem weird to perceive my maids and butlers as anything _but_ vampires. But _when_ did she tell us?

"You don't remember do you?" I shook my head. "Then let me remind you, it was 20 years ago, when you were 15. _The day after Arizona and her family disappeared._"

I snapped my head up in shock and let out a gasp. _No, it couldn't be. She's lying!_

"Mnemosyne's sin is that she failed to save Poseidon and Aphrodite, she failed to fulfil her promise and she failed to save Arizona. She made the mistake of erasing Arizona's memory of the hatred and anger towards Hades. _She _is the one responsible for Arizona's compassion and it is her fault we even needed the revival. Once she had realised her mistake and the truth behind the prophecy, she had starting to prepare you to be sacrificed."

* * *

"Y-you're lying!" I was stunned; I refused to believe that my mother knew of all of this. "You're lying!"

"Am I? The moment she erased Arizona's memories, she had started the revival. She told you about us in order to prepare you for meeting us in the future. She needed you to be aware and accepting of us. She needed to repent for her sins against Arizona. She may not have known what the true sacrifice was until you stabbed Arizona, but she was prepared to give you up to Artemis for _her_ mistake. Do you really think that she is unaware of what the revival _really _means? She knows that Arizona would be tormented by the killings, and _that_ is why she was so insistent that 'Arizona' never returns, to let 'Artemis' have free reign. Why she was so insistent that you learn to accept Artemis and become stronger to aid her. Her so called 'help' towards you is nothing but a façade to hide her mistake. _You are her salvation and she needs you to make up for her mistakes!_"

I stood there in silence, unable to process what I was being told. Arizona had not moved from her spot since we arrived and was staring at us astounded.

"Do you _still_ think your mother is so noble and righteous now?" Her tone was smug and I felt the anger at her attitude return in waves.

"You know nothing of my mother and I refuse to believe you! You're trying to make yourself look better and I'm not buying it. This isn't about my mother, it's about you and Arizona and the way you've been treating her!"

Her eyebrow arched in amusement, "I believe it was _you_ who brought her up."

"That's not the point! The point is that you're hurting Arizona! You're being unfair and to be honest, a total bitch!" I was struggling to reclaim the upper hand in our confrontation. "Arizona is doing this for you, and you're throwing it back in her face. This isn't helping at all."

"So you would rather I let the issue go and let her continue to be rampant and uncontrollable. A, what was the word you used? A 'killing machine', a 'tool' for my reign? You would rather I accept Artemis' free reign over Arizona's body and mind?" Her tone was amused and she was fucking pissing me off.

"That's not what I'm saying at all! You're supposed to be helping her, not blaming her. It's not her fault, she doesn't want this, and she was never given the choice!" I was getting hysterical, Terri was being so difficult and I was losing control over my emotions.

"And I was? You make it seem like I wanted this."

"M-maybe you didn't, but you're not helping now." I was losing this quickly, I knew that Terri was against this almost as much as I was, but seeing Arizona look so defeated killed me. I couldn't just let Terri get away with it.

"So how do you expect me to help? Stand by twiddling my thumbs until she finally breaks down and comes _begging _me for help? Or wait until she destroys herself with the unbearable guilt and stress that comes with suppressing herself whilst lying to you? Or perhaps you wanted me to ask your mother to erase her memory again?" I was speechless, I really had no idea what I had wanted to happen, but I knew _this_ wasn't it. "Tell me Calliope, _how_ did you want me to help? Arizona needs to hear the truth some time, and seeing as you're less than forthcoming, I took the _pleasure_ of informing her." The emphasis on the word 'pleasure' was unexpected; she didn't look like she was enjoying this at all. In the back of my head, I knew that she was hurt and distraught at what Arizona had become, but I didn't want to admit that she cared about Arizona that much. I didn't want to admit that I was wrong about her.

"Calliope," Arizona's soft voice cut through my internal musing, "Calliope, look at me." I continued to glare at Terri, "Calliope, _please_" Her pleading got my attention straight away. I had never heard Arizona sound so desperate or sad. "We need to talk." My heart dropped. "Please, I owe you the truth, so please. Come with me." She held out her hand and looked at me so earnestly, I was powerless to reject.

She smiled when she felt my hand in hers and led me out the door, but not before looking at Terri sombrely, "I'm sorry". I'm not sure if she was apologising for my actions or her own, but Terri simply nodded and waved us away.

_I guess it's time we talked._

* * *

Aria p.o.v

I couldn't believe what just happened. Callie completely lost control and attacked Terri. I knew that Callie didn't exactly like Terri, but I didn't think she'd _ever_ attack her like that; it was basically a death sentencing. I'm glad Thalia and Clio didn't apprehend Callie for that, they had arrived shortly after the punch and I swear I stopped breathing. I wasn't sure who I was going to help, Terri or Callie, they were both important to me, but Callie took it too far this time. I looked at Terri who had just sat down on the edge of her desk, cheek still bleeding. _Why isn't she healing? … Oh…_

"Hey T?"

"Hmm?" She absentmindedly replied, still staring at the floor, deep in thought.

"You hungry?" I asked hesitantly. Her eyes shot to me and she tilted her head, quite adorably, innocently in question.

"Whyyyy?" She dragged out the last syllable playfully, drawing a smile from me. It was times like these that I wondered how she could be so ruthless and cold towards other people, how she could be so commanding as a leader and yet so adorably childish when she was with me. It seemed that I was the only one that had yet to receive any of her anger or fiery temper, she was always so playful with me, and it reminded me of a child. It warmed my heart that she was so trusting of me that she'd let her calm and cold mask drop and be her 'real' self around me.

"You're not healing. You've been pretty tired these last couple of days, and you haven't been feeding. You've been too preoccupied with training us and researching Arizona's condition."

She touched her cheek and stared at her fingertips covered in blood, as if just realising the situation. "Nah, it's fine. I already fed last night, remember?"

I narrowed my eyes and placed my hands on my hips, "_Teresa Ryans_" I growled out "_You_ need to feed!"

"Ooooh, full naming me?" She replied playfully, trying to evade the topic.

"Nah uh, we're not doing this. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." I stated resolutely, crossing my arms to emphasise my point.

She narrowed her eyes at me, and the next thing I knew, I was being tackled onto the couch behind me.

* * *

"Oh god! Uncle, uncle! S-stop! Please! I give, I give!" I cried out in between laughter. She tickled me mercilessly and I had to cry uncle. She finally stopped her assault and looked down at me.

I took notice of our intimate position and blushed. She was laying on top of me on the couch, arms on either side of me head, supporting herself up, face inches away from me. I looked away embarrassed.

A gentle hand took a hold of my chin and turned my face back to hers. "I'm serious Ariadne, I already took too much last night, and it's not good for you." Her voice was soft and warm, a complete 180 from her passionate and fiery self when she was with Arizona and the smug and cocky person she was with Callie.

"But you're not healing right now." I replied in an equally soft voice.

"It's because Callie used her power, so it's just a little slow right now."

"Her power? Oh, her hand had a gold aura when she struck you right?" she nodded. "That was her power? Cool. But that's not the point, if you feed, you can heal faster. You're already weak, and any more injuries will set back your recovery."

"Aria-"

"Well if not from me. Please from someone else then!" I was determined to get her to feed.

"I can't…"

"What? Why?" This was news to me, she had always fed off of other people and packs, so why was this different. _Is she blushing?_

"Because…" she sounded hesitant.

"Because?" I pushed.

"Because I've marked a bride." I knew she had already, but it still didn't make sense. She must have caught the confusion, because she sighed deeply, looking off to the side before continuing.

"It's like having a mate. I _should_ only feed from my mate, unless I'm heavily injured and they're not around to feed from. It's like … _cheating_ on them. It's not right." I felt my blushed return tenfold. "I mean not everyone follows the rule, some vampires have mates that they spend most of their time with, but still feed off of others, but with heirs, like me, it's good to be able to set an example of monogamy. Or something… My father never was clear, and he wasn't the greatest example considering my mother was a whore. Though he does have one specific person he feeds from all the time. And-"

"So feed." I cut her off before she started to ramble again. It was cute and all, but sometimes frustrating. Like now, I was trying to make a point and she was distracting me with some new history.

"Aria, you didn't hear a word I said did you?"

"I did. Now feed from me." She stared at me stunned, and I giggled before pulling her head to my neck. "I'm serious, you may have taken a lot from me last night, but I'm fine. Really, I'm not just trying to placate you, I really am. It doesn't even feel like you fed last night, so just do it. You're already so close to recovering, you won't need to do this so much after you've recovered right?" I felt her nod against my neck, so I tilted my head to give her more space.

As her fangs sunk into my neck, I felt no pain. It started to happen after her third feed; the pain no longer came along with her fangs. She had explained that I had fully adapted to my vampire status and so no longer felt that pain. It was still interesting to me, I could feel her fangs and feel her feed, but there was no pain, if anything, I could feel small amounts of pleasure rush through me.

Whilst she was feeding, I thought to my conversation with Callie earlier on.

"_We're just friends and we just slept"_

_"But you're disappointed right? You wanted something to happen"_

"_Terri proposed when she claimed you and you accepted."_

Was that really how it was? That we were essentially married now? She had said that she 'marked a bride' and that was similar to having a mate. So we're mated? She couldn't feed off of others because _she_ treated _me_ like a mate and didn't want to what? Cheat on me? Would I feel cheated if she had sought others for feeding? I tried to imagine her feeding from Thalia or Clio, and the image of them receiving Terri's gentle touch, feeling her breath on their necks, of Terri giving them this 'pleasure' sent a huge feeling of uncomfort throughout my body. _Was I jealous?_

Terri must have sensed my uncomfort, as she drew back and looked at me with worry painted over her face. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

I studied her face for a little while. The cut across her cheek had healed up perfectly, leaving behind smooth, pale skin, that my hand had subconsciously reached up and began stroking. The cut across her lip had also healed, and I stared at her lips intently. I could still feel her body over mine, face so close to mine, my neck still tingling from her fangs, and I pulled my bottom lip in, biting softly.

"Aria?"

_Ah, fuck it. _I snaked my arms around her neck and pulled her lips down to meet mine.

_Finally._

* * *

Callie p.o.v

Arizona led me to our room in silence; I was terrified at what was to come. She opened the door and I entered behind her, heading straight to sit on the edge of the bed. When she closed the door, I gestured for her to join me, but she shook her head adamantly and remained in front of the closed door.

"We need to talk." Her voice was low and hesitant.

"So you've said."

"I don't want to do this to you." It was a pleading tone and I was completely lost as to what she was saying.

"Do what to me?"

"The burden of my guilt and despair, the suffering of the pain and helplessness, and the fear of darkness and the monster. I can't ask you to take on any of that, I won't, and it's not fair of me to do that." She started pacing in front of me, hands shaking from… fear? Anger? I didn't know; all I knew was that Arizona was troubled by something.

"You're not asking, I'm offering. Hell, I'm not even offering exactly, it's more of a demand. I'm _demanding_ that you share your burdens, your sufferings and your fears with me. I want to help you." I stressed to her; I needed her to know that I needed her to share everything with me.

"I can't, I _won't. _It's too much; I can't do that to you; never to you Calliope. I love you so much and I would rather not have you at all than have you experience all the insecurity, doubt, devastation and horror. It would be too much for you to bear and it would break my heart knowing that I was the cause of it." Her voice was trembling and I paled.

"W-what are you saying Arizona?" _No, she couldn't be suggesting what I think she's suggesting. She can't do that to us._

She stopped her pacing and stared resolutely into my eyes, "I'm saying that I want to break our bond." Her voice was calm and there was no doubt in her tone.

* * *

"No." I was stunned, after everything that's happened, I wasn't about to give up.

"What?"

"I said _no!_"

"Calliope-"

"No! You don't get to talk, it's my turn now!" her mouth snapped shut, and she stared at me wide eyed.

"I lost you once, 20 years ago, and I barely survived it. Do you know how I spent the first 2 weeks after you disappeared?" she shook her head weakly; "I locked myself away in my room, crying and screaming for you to come back. I barely ate or drank anything; my father had to _break down_ my door because I almost died. I thought _you _had died and I wanted to join you, I wanted to be with you no matter where you were. I tried, but my father saved me. I'd spent 5 days in the hospital recovering from malnourishment and my suicide attempt. I _barely _survived Arizona." I closed my eyes at the memory, and could feel tears welling up behind my closed eyes, the pain of that time returning.

"Calliope, I never-" her voice was full of guilt, and I could see her blue eyes watering.

"I barely survived it last time. I _won't _survive it again. I've waited so long to be with you again, I can't lose you Arizona. I don't care how bad the pain or suffering is, but if it's hurting you, then I want to share that burden. I want to take away your pain; I want to make you feel nothing but happiness. I want you to feel as great as I do whenever I'm with you."

"Calliope, I want that too, but you're so innocent. You have nothing to do with this war, and I don't want to drag you in. You could live out your life as a normal person, a doctor at SGMW like before. You shouldn't have to get involved." Her tone was desperate, desperate for me to understand her point of view.

"If you're involved then so am I, it's as simple as that." She looked so conflicted. I knew she loved me and wanted me by her side, but she was afraid of hurting me. I walked up to her and I took her hand, placing it on my heart. "Do you feel that Ari? It beats only for you." She stared intently at her hand, as if trying to see directly into my heart. "But it's breaking; it's breaking because you don't want it. You're rejecting me and it's breaking my heart." The tears that I had tried so hard to hold in finally fell, and I couldn't stop it no matter what.

Her free hand curled into a fist and clenched tightly by her side, her breathing was harsh, eyes closed tightly, teeth ground together, pain painted all over her face and I could see she was still arguing within herself. "I… I can't protect you Callie. I can't guarantee that you'll be safe and unharmed… I… I _need_ to be able to protect you." It was spoken so low and raspy, in a quivering voice, that I barely caught it.

I tightened my grip around her hand, and chanced a step closer to her. "I don't need you to protect me. I just need you to love me."

She looked at me with clear blue eyes, tears streaming down her face and raised a hand to my cheek. "I do, I do love you. I love you so much and I am so _so_ sorry Calliope." Gently, she began to wipe the tears away; studying my face with such intensity I felt my heart begin to speed up.

"Please don't hide from me again, don't leave me again. My heart couldn't bear it. The pain and suffering from your burdens are nothing compared to how it would feel if you left me. I would die." My voice trembled with my emotions, I needed Arizona, there was no doubt about that, but the thought that she wanted to break our bond, it was devastating and I thought I would die right then.

"I-I don't want you to be afraid of me." I knew that there were still other things that needed to be addressed, and no better time that now I suppose.

"No Arizona, I'm not afraid of you! I saw what you had become, and yes it scared me, but I knew it wasn't _you_."

"It was me, it was all me; 'Artemis' and 'Arizona' are _both_ me, and there are no excuses. I'm a monster Callie!" she was sobbing, and it hurt so much.

"You're not a monster, I swear it. I wouldn't, _couldn't_ love a monster. I know deep down that you don't want to kill anybody, but there isn't a choice. You did it to protect me, to protect Terri, to protect your family. How could anyone as loyal and loving as that be a monster? I _may_ have been afraid, but it was because I didn't understand. Hades is the monster, he uses children and young women to feed from and changes them all into mindless tools, _he_ is the monster, not you!" It was true, I didn't understand at first, but seeing everything that Hades has done, everything that he has caused, I knew that he needed to be stopped, in any way possible. Even I couldn't stand what he represented. He was a symbol of greed, of insanity, destruction and pain.

"But you… You're reaction when I killed that little girl… You were _horrified _and today, with Graham, you couldn't even look at me" I winced. It was no surprise that Arizona was so insecure about my feelings, ever since she had awoken I had been cautiously stepping around her; unfamiliar with the way 'Artemis' carried herself. She had surprised me with her nonchalance at killing so many children and her effortless torture of the man, but it was because I was so used to a gentle and loving Arizona. Maybe it was my fault that she was hiding from me, maybe Terri was right and I should've tried harder.

"I'm sorry Ari, but you shocked me. You were. You _are_ so different from how I remember you, from how you were when we first reunited. I needed time to adapt to the change. You were right about one thing, it is a necessity to become this cold and ruthless person in order to beat Hades, and I'm sorry for making you doubt that. Hades will not hold back nor will he have any remorse for killing anyone. You need to fight fire with fire, and using 'Artemis' is the biggest chance we have at this."

"Calliope… Do you really mean that?" Her voice was so small and insecure; I could feel tears gathering again.

"God, I do. I'm sorry for making you feel so insecure about what you were doing, I'm sorry you thought I was so afraid of you, I'm sorry for believing Erica and I'm sorry for stabbing you!" I choked on a sob, I had yet to apologise for that day, and the memories and feelings it brought up threatened to bring me to my knees. "I love you and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. If you'll let me?"

"I love you too. I love you so much Calliope, god I'm so sorry. I love you. I promise. I promise I'll never leave you, I promise, I promise. No more hiding, no more lies, I swear, I'll tell you everything." She pulled me into a fierce embrace and we held on tightly to each other, tears streaming down our faces. "I forgive you Calliope, I forgave you the moment I felt the blade enter me. There was nothing to forgive; you were scared and just trying to protect your mother. I would never forgive anyone for hurting or scaring you, even if that person were myself. I'm so sorry for everything!"

"I'm not going anywhere Ari, just trust me. Trust me to fight by your side." I pulled back slightly and she grabbed my face with her hands.

"I do, I trust you with my life, with everything that I am." She pulled me into a heated kiss and I felt my body respond immediately. I knew straight away that _this_ was the feeling I had been looking for. Every time Artemis kissed me, there was something missing, but _this_? This was everything, and it sent shivers straight to my core. This was the Arizona I loved, and right now, it was just about Arizona and I, about our love and nothing else.

* * *

When I woke up, I found myself in the arms of my mate. Arizona was deep in sleep, but her arms were still tightly wrapped around me as I laid my head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat. My neck was still tingling from _finally_ completing our ritual and I felt my whole body tingle with satisfaction and excitement. Perhaps we should have had this conversation sooner? If it meant that we could officially seal our bond, then I should've asked Terri to confront Arizona sooner.

Talking of Terri, I owed her an apology. If it wasn't because of her, then I wouldn't have been able to finally have this heart to heart with Arizona. Not to mention what she did for me after Arizona had dragged me out of the room.

_*Flashback*_

_Terri nodded as Arizona apologised._

"_Do you want to know what happened with Arizona that night?" I could hear Terri's voice echo in my head, and I mentally said my answer hoping she would pick it up._

"_Yes, but how?"_

"_I will show you." Terri's voice was strong and powerful as it rang through my mind, _God she's so strong.

"_Show me?" I replied confused._

"_Just relax and don't fight me…" She trailed off in a gentle manner._

"_Don't figh-" I gasped as images of the night Poseidon was attacked played through my head. The look in Hades and Erica's eyes, the fear of Aphrodite, the anger of Poseidon, the moment Arizona was attacked in the park and sired, the confusion running through her head as the 'voice', my mother Mnemosyne, spoke to her barely conscious self before erasing her memories, her fear and frantic panicking when she woke up in Terri's home. Everything played through my head. And I finally understood Arizona's, no Artemis' hatred of Hades and my mother._

"_Do you understand now?" Her voice was exhausted and strained._

"_How did you do that?" I was amazed at her ability, and stunned by her choice to show me._

"_I've seen into her mind. The day after she woke up at my house, I peered into her mind to find out who she was and what happened, seeing as she had no clue. And after Mnemosyne recovered her memories, I had a look at her nightmares as she was feeding from me. I saw her memories and her past." She explained softly, it was a side I wasn't used to and I felt extremely guilty for everything I had done to her._

"_I didn't know vampires could do that, I thought you could only communicate through thoughts, or is this a royal bloodline thing?" I was perplexed by this sudden new ability, I didn't think that even my mother, who controls memories could do this._

"_I'm the daughter of Zeus and a relative of Theia, the greatest mind manipulator to have ever existed, you'd think I would have picked something up. I asked her to train me when I was younger." _

"_Can my mother do this?"_

"_Not exactly, she controls memories, but she doesn't have the ability to transfer them like this. She'd have to be present and have some sort of contact. Like I said, I'm related to Theia and a very diligent student." Her voice was getting more and more strained as we conversed._

"_Are you okay? You sound stressed" I was genuinely concerned for her health; she was helping me even after everything I had done to her just moments before. She didn't have to do this, and I would be forever in debt to her._

"_Just tired, it's very draining," I could feel her voice wavering, "and besides, you smacked me with that amped up fist of yours." She was teasing me, even now, and it brought a smile._

"_Thank you."_

…

"_Terri?" her presence had suddenly disappeared from my head and I was worried that something had happened to her._

"_Sorry, Aria's calling me. She's looking at me weirdly now, I'm signing off!" And her presence disappeared completely, leaving my slightly bewildered at her goodbye. 'I'm signing off'? What the hell?_

_*End Flashback*_

I wasn't too proud to admit that I had read Terri completely wrong and that I was really guilty of misjudging her character. She was smarter than I had given her credit for and Aria was right for defending her. She had waved off my thanks, like it wasn't necessary, and I now understood what Aria meant when she said that Terri was selfless and a better person than I had made her out to be. I knew that I owed her a proper apology and thanks face to face.

Arizona groaned in her sleep and shifted slightly in her position. Her arms tightened around me as if to make sure I was still there and she buried her nose into my hair, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head. It made me smile at how adorable she was being. This was the Arizona I had met back in Seattle, this was the one I missed waking up with, and this was the one that I had completely fallen in love with.

_Yeah… I owe Terri a lot._

* * *

A.N: The calm before the storm perhaps?


	18. Chapter 18: It Begins

A.N: I'm so glad my beta, **2damnpretty2die, **is super awesome, my chapters are coming out quicker than I'd expected, and she's been amazing, especially since she's got her own story to worry about. Thanks Captain!

**To Caseyjr:** Welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying it, and glad you enjoy my new character. Don't worry too much about the Greek mythology, the relationships aren't completely accurate, I just like the idea of using their names =]

**To nikki:** I'm always excited to see your reviews! I'm a great Terri/Aria shipper myself! Yes, there are _many_ characters and only a _few_ more to come in =P, but there will be some that aren't really important, they just need to be part of the scene, so don't worry about that. My main characters are just the ones I've been using so far, but that's already a lot right?

**To ryshai: **Welcome and thank you for the support, hope you enjoy the future chapters too!

Enjoy! x

* * *

Chapter 18: It Begins

General p.o.v

It was late at night, there was not a soul around and the silence was overwhelming. Graham looked around, he was surrounded by darkness, and he could barely make out his own body with his one remaining eye.

"_I can't believe that bitch took out my eye, fuck, and my arm too. She'll pay for this, once I get out, Hades' will forgive me once I give him their location. Fucking bitch!" _He was broken out of his internal musings as the door slowly and silently opened.

"Hello?" There was no reply, no shuffling, no sign that there was anyone around.

"Who's there?" He demanded, he refused to be toyed with.

"Graham." The voice was low and sinister and it sent shivers through him.

"W-who are you?" he looked around trying to locate the source of the voice, but found no one.

"I'm here to deliver a message from Hades."

He froze, _"Hades? Fuck, no! He can't know I'm here, how does he know?"_ He couldn't let Hades know that he had been captured, nor could he let him know that he had inadvertently revealed Poseidon's location. "What does he want?"

There was a laugh and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand, "He wants to let you know that your usefulness has come to an end. He will not tolerate any _traitors._"

There was no sound as his head was removed from his body. The door closed just as quietly as before and all that was left in the room was a pile of dust surrounded by dried blood.

* * *

Callie p.o.v

Arizona had left to train with the team and I headed off to find my mother. I had questions that she needed to answer; I didn't like the idea of my mother lying to me about the prophecy, and I prayed that Terri was lying to me.

"Mama." I found her in the garden, sitting by the small table drinking tea.

"Calliope, you have questions?" Her voice was soft and I was caught of guard by her bluntness.

"You know what I want to ask?"

"I assumed that Athena has revealed my part in the prophecy?" I nodded, "Then you want to ask about my sins." Her gentle voice became more and more sad and sombre, and I briefly hesitated to question her any further.

"I just want to know the truth Mama. I don't want to be lied to anymore."

"The truth is, Athena is right. You are my salvation, a way for me to repent for my sins and I used you." I inhaled sharply at her revelation; I couldn't believe that Terri was actually telling the truth. And for my mother to just admit it right off the bat like that? There was something fishy about this.

"Mama, there's more. I want to hear your side. Please, no more lies." I begged.

She sighed before looking off into the distance, "I had already stated that I had no choice in the matter. It was Arizona or Poseidon, and Aphrodite had made me make a blood oath to protect Arizona no matter what. I saved Arizona, but I didn't want her to live a life of revenge and hatred. She was such a carefree child, a happy child and I wanted her to continue that life. I didn't know that erasing her memories would begin the revival."

I could see the tears gathering in my mother's eyes and it broke my heart to see how much guilt she had been harbouring for over 20 years.

"I had wanted to protect Aria and you from this life, so I kept it hidden away from you, but the moment I saved Arizona, you were involved already. So I had to tell you about us, I _needed_ you to understand about us, so when the day Arizona and you finally met again, you would be able to save her the way I wasn't able to."

"What do you mean 'save her the way I wasn't able to'? You saved her after she was bitten didn't you?"

"Yes, but I also took away everything from her, her memories, her thoughts, her feelings and her family. I took away 16 years from her and as a result, she was lost, scared, and alone. I didn't save her Calliope, you did. By returning to her everything that she had lost, you gave her a reason to fight, a reason to live and a reason to let go of her guilt. I thought I was doing the right thing, but instead, I had destroyed the light that used to shine within the girl; I created the darkness that plagues her and I could only rely on you to undo my mistake. I'm so sorry Calliope." Her voice was tearful and I could see tears falling down her face.

I stood there shocked, I had never seen my mother cry, or heard her sound so distraught. "Mama, I only wish that you had told me the truth from the beginning."

"I couldn't Calliope. I had tried, but you were so distraught over Arizona's disappearance."

"So you just continued to _let me think she was dead!_" The anger came from nowhere and stunned even me.

"I tried, I tried to tell you that she wasn't dead. But you were so unstable, so overwhelmed by your loss that you didn't hear me, you wouldn't listen to me." She countered. "Every night I came into your room to hold you, to reassure you that she wasn't dead, but you didn't listen. You continued to cry over her and it broke my heart. In the end I could only wait until you had calmed down, but by the time it had happened, it was like you had forgotten about Arizona. I couldn't bring you back into that darkness, you almost killed yourself over her, and you were finally getting better. I couldn't take you back there!"

"I _never_ forgot her, she always lived in my heart. I pretended each and every day that she had just gone on a vacation, or that she had moved away so I couldn't see her all the time, I pretended that she was still in my life and you have no idea how much it hurt." I was seething; the woman had let me think Arizona was dead for over 10 years before telling me the truth. "Why did you wait so long before telling me she wasn't dead?"

"When you came back from medical school, you were so happy. You had told me of the new friends you had made, and I hoped that you were ready to hear the truth." I still remembered the day that she had told me that Arizona wasn't dead, I felt all the pain and anguish return to me and I felt betrayed by my mother. I had spent the next couple of years endlessly searching for her, but came back with nought.

"It was your idea wasn't it? To bring me to Seattle, to SGMW, you knew where Arizona was didn't you?" Her silence was my answer. "Have you always known?"

"No, I didn't know until Apollo found me. He didn't know he had found me yet, but I had recognised his aura and had him followed to Seattle where I also found Arizona and Athena."

"And then you suggested I move to Seattle with Aria, because you needed us to meet? Was Aria part of the plan as well? Did you use both of us?"

"I didn't know Athena would invoke the right of the bride. I had _never_ wanted Aria to be a part of this. I had no choice in the matter. Both Aria and you are so precious to me, and I would have kept you hidden from our world forever if that was possible. But you were both fated to be a part of a great destiny; I thought I was doing the right thing by bringing you back to Arizona."

"Bringing Arizona back into my life is the _only_ reason I'm forgiving you."

"Calliope…" She was surprised and I couldn't blame her. I had spent the last 5 minutes accusing her, blaming her, I was so angry, yet I had just said that I forgave her.

"I got Arizona back, and in the end, that's all that matters to me. And Aria, she's happy. I mean she's really happy. Regardless of how it came about, she really cares about Terri and Terri cares about her, she makes her happy and determined to succeed. Terri is good for Aria, so in the end, we're all happy. And I _know_ that you thought you were doing the right thing. You didn't know what would happen and I can't blame you for trying. You're my Mama, and I love you, so I forgive you." I smiled as I felt my heart lighten. I had always been a fiery and passionate person, it was in my blood, but I could never harbour any actual real hatred or anger towards anyone. It was such a gloomy feeling and I didn't like it.

"Calliope, I'm so sorry." My mother sobbed, and I pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay, I forgive you. I have Arizona back and I have to thank you for that."

"You have to thank Athena for that. She kept her alive all these years and helped her through her revival. She was the one who had kept the carefree and happy Arizona alive; she gave her a life full of vigour and happiness. Even though they were hunters, Athena had always tried to keep Arizona away from the battles, she had kept her away from the death, but death has a way of catching up to you. Athena loves Arizona and I need you to forgive her. You can't blame her for anything; she's as powerless as I am against destiny." Her voice was muffled against my shoulder, but I could hear the sincerity.

"I know Mama, I know. I need to and will apologise to her. I owe her everything. I really do."

* * *

General p.o.v

Callie and Lucia entered the gym and were confronted by aura spikes, lightning and fire being thrown around and the sounds of swords clashing. Callie smiled seeing Arizona head to head against her brother, determination and smiles all around, but she could see that Arizona had full control of herself and her actions.

"Hey Cal, Mama." Aria's voice came from the left and she appeared with bright red eyes, gold flecks swimming in the centre and a bright smile. She was sweating slightly and breathing hard.

"Training hard Aria?" Lucia asked

"Oh yeah, Terri's giving me a hard workout."

"Oh I bet she is" Teased Callie

"Shut up!" Aria blushed red, and pouted at her sister. Terri appeared before them, barely a lock of hair out of place, and smiled before addressing Aria.

"I don't recall agreeing to a break, nor did I see you tap out."

"Aw come on babe! I'm tired! Just 5 minutes?" Aria whined.

Callie looked at her mother in amusement, mouthing 'babe?' at her, she received an equally amused smile in return. Terri arched an eyebrow and her mouth turned up in a smirk.

"I recall you _begging _me to personally train you. You exact words were 'I want you to _really_ make me sweat', and that's exactly what I'm doing, _babe._"

"I didn't think you'd take me seriously, or and least take it easy on me." Aria grumbled, arms crossing in protest.

"I _am_ taking it easy on you." Terri deadpanned, before shimmering out of sight immediately, just as a sword crashed down where she was just standing.

"Dammit!"

"Too slow Ari!" came the teasing voice.

Arizona recovered quickly, sending a bright grin towards the three Torres'. "Hi Calliope!" She stole a kiss from Callie and flickered out of sight as another person holding a sword landed where she had just been.

"Dammit!"

"Gotta move faster brother!" she teased.

Tim stood up quickly, shooting them a grin. "Afternoon Torres family" and disappeared just as quick, leaving the three woman bewildered and smirking at their actions.

Callie shot her mother and sister a look, and they all sighed "Children."

* * *

The energy in the room was contagious, everyone was giving their all into sparring, but they were all having so much fun. They teased and provoked one another, laughed and joked about another pairings misfortune, and all joined in Terri, Arizona and Tim's impromptu game of 'tag'. It was light hearted and everyone was enjoying themselves, but it was not to last.

A huge explosion took out a wall of the gym, shocking everyone into freezing. Strays started storming in and in the centre of the herd was a blonde woman with ice blue eyes, smirking.

"Erica!" Growled Arizona.

"Sorry for crashing the party, but I'm a little insulted that we weren't invited, considering we were so close." Erica teased, and with a wave of her hand, the strays all jumped into action.

Callie and Aria were pulled towards the back by Lucia, Bailey and Lexie, fending of any strays that came near them; Addison and Teddy were off towards the right, Alex and Mark to the left, and Terri had taken command as per usual.

"Montgomery, Sloan, protect your sire!" They headed off and took out two strays that were currently in battle with Lucia.

"Karev, Altman, protect the Bride and your Mistress!" Teddy intervened as a stray launched itself at Aria, tearing through his body with ease. Alex charged straight at Callie, flickering out of sight just inches before her and reappearing behind her to take out the stray that had snuck up, his head exploded before he could even reach them.

Callie stared at him stunned. "You're my Master's mate now, so whatever happens, I have to protect you." He growled at her, still holding resentment towards her for injuring Arizona.

"Thank you Alex," She smiled at him and he waved her off with a gruff 'whatever' and took up position on her left.

Arizona and Tim had leaped behind Erica, taking on any strays that were still coming through the hole in the wall, each brandishing their blades, slicing through the enemy with no resistance. Thalia and Clio had taken position behind Terri, fighting any vampires that came between their master and the group behind them. Terri had engaged in battle with Erica, whilst taking on any one that dared to intervene in their battle, each brandishing their own sword; both silver with golden handles, Erica's with a yellow and black jewel and Terri's with a red and white jewel.

Erica flickered out of sight as two strays marked with Hade's symbol released their seals and charged at Terri. The sudden influx of dark aura from the strays caused Terri to growl out, she moved so fast that it wasn't possible for your eyes to keep up with her movement. In the blink of an eye she had cleaved off one of the stray's head from his body, landing in a crouch and twisting around swiftly, jabbing her sword upwards and impaling the remaining one from chin up, blade exiting at the top of his head, brain matter and blood covering the blade.

Erica had reappeared behind Terri and swung her lightning charged sword at Terri's head, she removed her sword quickly from the stray and turned with barely enough time to block the attack.

No one had noticed Tim move until it was too late.

"Tim, no!" came Arizona's frantic cry.

Terri's blade clashed with Erica's as blood splattered onto the floor.

* * *

"Tim… Why?" Terri's voice was full of pain and anguish, staring into Tim's clear eyes, wide and blazing purple with a streak of silver running through. Her grip on her sword never faltered as Erica forced her down to her knees.

Tim smirked at her before pulling out the sword that he had embedded into her chest. He dragged it out slowly, making sure she felt every inch of pain and the blood poured from her wound. He flicked the sword out to the side, splattering blood onto the floor, the jewels on the handle glittering in the light and her eyes widened in recognition.

"_The Blade of Cronus."_

Her blade clattered to the ground as she choked on the blood, staring up at Tim and Erica in disbelief.

"Terri!" Arizona appeared next to Terri, having dispatched of the remaining strays, sword at the ready, eyes blazing purple. "Why Tim?" She pleaded with her brother, "you're joking right?"

"Why would I be? I _hate_ her. She treated me like nothing! I'm a Royal, just like her, yet she treated me like trash! Lower than fucking trash, I never got any recognition for any of my achievements, and if I did anything wrong I was punished without second thought. Why the hell would I want to serve under someone like her? At least Hades recognises my achievements and I'm granted rewards for them. I feel like an actual person there. I'm treated with respect and trust." He spat at her, sword rising menacingly.

"Tim, no. We're a team, we're family!" There were tears in her eyes; she couldn't believe that Tim would betray them like this.

"Team? Family? Why would I want that with _her_? If you know what's best for you Arizona, you would join us too. You stand to gain nothing from following a coward like her. Hades _will_ rule the kingdom, and if you want to survive with your," his eyes flickered up to the group standing behind them, "your _Calliope_, then you would join us and rule."

"I refuse. I will not abandon my family!" She screamed at him. His nostrils flared in anger and he raised his sword ready to strike again. Terri pushed her out of the way, summoning her strength and taking up her sword, she parried his attack. She made her way to her feet, dragging Arizona up with her and threw her towards Clio, who caught her and pushed her towards Callie.

"Terri! No, let me fight!" She tried to move forward, but found she was blocked by Thalia and Clio who had taken position in front of the group in a protective manner.

Terri stood shakily, breathing hard, sword gripped tightly in her hand and glared at Erica and Tim whom were both smirking at her.

"My, my, _Princess_, not looking too hot there." Erica laughed.

"This is how you want to play it then Styx?" Terri growled in return.

"Terri!" Aria's cry caught her attention; she threw her arm backwards, towards the group, palm facing them and erected a barrier using her blood. "Stay back!"

"No, Terri!" She moved towards her, but was repelled by the barrier.

"It's no use, it's a barrier made using her blood. No one can get in or out." Lucia explained to her tearful daughter.

"_Ari…"_ Arizona's head snapped up at the echo.

"_Terri, let me help!"_ She stared helplessly at the injured Crown, standing against the two Royals.

"_Run!"_

"_Are you fucking kidding me? I can help!"_

"_There's a door behind you, take it and run! Thalia and Clio know where to go."_ She slyly glanced towards the aforementioned two and saw them subtly nod, as they had also heard the mental broadcast.

"_I can't leave you behind!"_

"_I'm not giving you the choice."_

"_We can take them on!"_

"_We can't, Styx has done something. Her aura is off."_ Arizona studied Erica's form trying to locate what she was talking about.

"Now Princess, we don't want to hurt you… much" Erica grinned sadistically at Terri, "Just come along peacefully and then when Daddy dearest comes to rescue you we can take him out too. You knew it was going to happen, you didn't really think that going against Hades was a good idea did you? At least Apollo here had the right frame of mind to seek help when he needed it."

"Bring it, bitch!" Terri's aura flared up, blindingly, and even behind the barrier, the group could feel the rush of power and suffocating pressure.

"You just _had_ to take the hard way." Her grin was still in place as both her and Tim's aura flared up to try and match Terri's. They charged at Terri, but not before Erica injected something into her neck, increasing her speed by miles, and catching Terri off guard.

She blocked Tim's attack from the left, but Erica's speed was unexpected as she flashed passed her and she received a deep gash across her right side. Flickering out of sight quickly, she reappeared again, putting her between Erica and the group once again.

"What the hell was that?" Erica's reply was an evil smirk as she signalled for Tim to continue attacking.

Arizona pounded frantically at the barrier as she watched Terri received wound after wound from Erica who was now holding Hades' blade in her hand.

"_T, let me out! You need help!"_

"_You need to leave Ari! Please, just listen to me. I can't fight if I'm worried about you guys."_

"_T-"_

"_I'm begging you…"_ Arizona froze; she had never heard Terri so desperate before. Terri stood panting, sweat and blood pouring from her body, she couldn't release any more power without harming the group behind her and she willed Arizona to listen to her command. Arizona looked around to Teddy, Lexie, Alex and Bailey, whom had all been a part of the broadcast, and they nodded reluctantly

"_What about you?"_

"_I'll meet you there, I swear Ari, on my blood oath, I will meet you there. I need you all to get to safety first."_

"_Okay. Okay, I'll do it, just… Don't die!"_

"_On my signal okay?"_

"That all you got Styx, Apollo? I was expecting more." Terri goaded them

Tim straightened in anger and Erica simply injected another syringe into her neck before her aura flared up again.

"Is that… no! You didn't?" She stared in amazement at Erica who laughed manically.

"It's exactly what you think it is, the serum of the Seers."

"Are you _trying_ to kill yourself?"

"Au contraire, my father and I were not afraid of the serum and have fully adapted to its effects. _We're_ not cowards unlike some people." She sneered.

"Fucking bring it!" Terri smirked, her aura sparked up to terrifying levels, bright shining red lines covering her entire body, pulsing slightly before turning a vivid white, blinding everyone; the room started shaking and from her back, a pair of wings emerged, white and pure as snow. Terri stood regally, eyes pure white, fangs elongated, the symbol for Jupiter, Zeus, stood proudly on her forehead, glowing gold.

"_Now Ari!"_

She launched at both Erica and Tim with a speed that no one could catch, and knocked them both into the opposing wall, bring it crashing down around them. Arizona and her team took the opportunity to run, blindly following Thalia and Clio to their unknown destination. She turned back briefly.

"_Don't fucking die, T"_

* * *

In what seemed like hours later, they had finished running through the streets of Miami, and found themselves in front of a wall in a dead-end alleyway in an abandoned area. Panting from exertion and confused, they were about to ask, but stopped when Thalia stepped forward, placing a hand on the wall in front of her and began chanting under her breath. Clio stood behind the group keeping an eye out for any followers, her face was blank, but you could see the worry and concern in her eyes. Thalia's hand starting glowing as symbols appeared on the wall, which then opened up to reveal a set of stairs leading downwards.

"What the hell is that?" asked an astonished Addison.

Thalia led the group downstairs into an open space which slightly resembled Terri's warehouse back in Seattle in layout, "This is our sanctuary, we will remain here to recover and wait for our Master."

The lights came on as Clio hit a switch and the rest of the room was revealed. There were several closed doors that led to separate rooms with beds, a large round table sat in the centre of the room surrounded by chairs, and there were industrial sized fridge off towards the back area, which also acted as a kitchen with stoves and everything. There was a large TV set up, with several couches around and several computers lay closed on top of a long desk off towards the left side of the room. The room itself was very sterile, almost like a hospital, with the white walls, the tungsten lights above lit up the room brightly, and it smelled slightly of bleach.

"There are blood packs as well as regular food in the fridge, so eat up, relax and rest." Thalia walked off towards the fridge and retrieved a few packs, which she then passed out to the group.

"Are you kidding me? How are we supposed to 'relax and rest' when Terri might be dead?" Aria was furious at Thalia's nonchalance at the situation, her worry over Terri overriding her fear of her own safety.

"Believe me when I say that we are more concerned over our Master's wellbeing than you are _Mistress_," came Clio's patronizing voice, "We have served her since her birth and witnessed her growth, so we know her abilities, and _if_ Artemis had not been so reluctant to leave, then she probably wouldn't have even received the wounds she did."

"What do you mean?" Aria had not been a part of the mental communication between the group so she had been kept in the dark about the conversation. Callie, Lucia, Mark and Addison nodded their head in agreement; they had also not been included.

"Our Master had been pleading with Artemis and her followers to leave, but she was unwilling, stating that she wanted to fight. But this is not a fight that we can win, not with what Styx has injected into her body."

"And what's that?"

"The serum of the Seers. I believe that the Crown has mentioned before that the Seers created a serum for them to survive without live feeds and it enhances their power. She had also mentioned that other vampires would not be able to use the serum with repercussions, but it would seem that Hades and Styx has taken that risk and somehow managed to adapt." Bailey explained. "It was a stupid move, and it could have killed them."

"They have probably experimented on the formula, if I'm not mistaken; Styx herself is well accustomed with science and formulas, so I wouldn't be surprised if she had somehow found a way around it." Clio added. "Though I tremble to imagine who or what she had experimented on."

"What was with Terri and her wings?" Addison had asked the question they all wanted to know.

"It's the true form of the Crown. Well, not exactly, it's the true form of the Royals, actually." Lucia was the one to explain. "The Royals all have the ability to reach that form, they just need to train. They unlock their true powers, which are guided by their fathers, in Athena's case, Zeus. So his symbol appears and she is able to access some of his powers. I'm sure you all felt the incredible aura coming from her, I mean she almost took out the room by releasing only _some_ of that power."

"Some? You mean there's more? Can Arizona do it?" Callie asked intrigued.

"She _may_ be able to. I know for a fact that Apollo is unable to, but now that Arizona has found her true mate, she has a higher chance of achieving that state, but she needs Athena to guide her. Arizona would receive the power of Poseidon."

"What does having mated have anything to do with it?" Teddy asked, hoping that it didn't involve anything explicit, regardless of status, Arizona was her best friend and she didn't need _that_ much information on her personal life.

"It means she has access to more power. In order to reach the state of the true form, it requires an incredible amount of power, and control, so with Calliope's help; Arizona currently stands a higher chance of reaching it."

"So it's like a super level up? Aside from the 'power ups' these guys get from releasing their seals" Addison asked, drawing a smile from Lucia and a roll of the eyes from Bailey.

"Yes, it's just like that, you need a certain amount of power _just_ to be able to achieve the state; maintaining it is a whole another story. The toll it takes on the person if they don't have the power to maintain it is so much, it could cause them to completely lose control and go berserk. So control is a huge part of this too, hence the constant mental, physical and emotional training one must undergo in order to maintain the form. Any distractions could be fatal."

"Jesus, well whatever it was, it was _strong._ I swear I could actually feel the power, like it was resonating within me, bloody well _terrified_ me." Addison exclaimed incredulously.

"That's not entirely untrue, for one your body recognises Athena as the Crown, and when she reaches the state, she is proudly proclaiming her rightful status; and secondly, she draws power from Zeus, so it's no wonder you felt terrified in the presence of our King. But either way, the release of the energy is so powerful that it threatens to destroy everything within sight, so it explains why she had set up the blood barrier beforehand, and why she was so adamant that we left."

Arizona felt the guilt overcome her, she didn't know what Terri was planning and just wanted to fight by her side, to protect her, and if her hesitation had cause Terri to be defeated… She couldn't even think of what would happen. A warm hand slipped into hers and she looked up to see Callie smiling softly at her. She hadn't realised that everyone had been looking at her.

"Arizona, it's okay, you didn't know." Lucia's voice was soft and understanding. "Your instinct was to protect the Crown, and that gives you no faults. Not even I had expected her to reveal her form, I suppose it a miracle she was calm enough to invoke the power in her state. Though I am rather worried about the repercussions in will have on her body."

"What do you mean?" Arizona spoke for the first time since leaving the Torres residence.

"She's injured as you can see, and it's from both Poseidon and Hades' Blade of Cronus. We've already said that it doesn't effect her as much as it does to us, but after so many injuries, I'm worried that she'll lose control."

The room dropped into silence as understanding dawned upon them.

"It's okay. It's going to be alright." Aria spoke up and placed a hand over her heart, "I believe in her, and I believe that she'll fight for control, fight to return to us." Determination was framed throughout her sentence even though there were tears in her eyes. They all stared at her in awe, despite the situation, her unwavering belief and trust in the vampire was amazing.

Thalia smiled at the young Latina, shocking everyone, as the vampire was usually so stoic and emotionless, whilst Clio placed an arm around her shoulder.

"She's right, our Master is strong, so very strong, and she has something to fight for now." She squeezed Aria shoulder lightly, "Besides, we'd be able to feel it if something happened, we're all linked to her now anyway."

Their brief moment of bonding was disrupted by commotion at the sealed door.

* * *

Clio and Thalia motioned for them to remain silent and to move away from the stairs, towards the back of the room. Taking up position to engage the intruder, they were surprised to hear the sounds of two sets of footsteps followed by coughing and cursing as the intruders made their way down the stairs, tripping halfway and one of them came tumbling down the rest.

"Fuck *cough* … Fucking stairs *cough* … Who's bright idea was it to put fucking stairs here?" came the strained voice on the floor

"I believe it was _yours_ Princess." Came a deeper voice full of amusement from the middle of the stairs.

"Terri!" Aria was the first to notice her at the bottom of the stairs and rushed to her side with Bailey to examine her state. She was pale, deathly so and covered in blood. Cuts and bruises littered all over her body and she looked exhausted. Her clothes were torn in various places, but not a slither of skin could be seen, it had all been covered by blood.

"Hey there, fancy meeting you here?" she teased her slightly, coughing as blood filled her mouth. Aria smiled at her gently until she saw the blood and started panicking again.

"Fuck! Terri, baby, hold on. Do something Bailey!" She frantically moved her hands around the place, trying not to aggravate any of her wounds, but found nowhere to place them as the blood was hiding the sources.

"Miranda, place her in one of the tanks." The deep voice commanded. They had forgotten about the presence of the second person and when he made it down the stairs it was revealed to be Richard Webber.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Another time Miranda, the Princess needs our help.

"Would it help if she fed?" Aria asked the older man. He looked thoughtfully at Terri before nodding.

"It would, if only slightly, but it would perhaps give her more energy to move and _not_ trip down any more stairs." He glared at Terri.

"Sorry Richard, I thought I'd be okay, I felt okay." Terri explained sheepishly.

"_Princess_, you were barely conscious and covered by debris when I found you. I had to carry you most of the way here, placing you down only to open the door. I thought you'd know better than to try and _walk down the stairs by yourself!_" His tone got sterner towards the end and Terri winced.

"I _really_ forgot about the stairs. I haven't been here in years, and I'd totally gotten used to my warehouse back in Seattle. There aren't any stairs after the entrance there! Really, who puts stairs _right_ in front of the entrance?" she replied indignantly, pouting slightly, drawing amused stares from the others who'd rarely seen the Crown act so childish before.

"As I stated before, _you_ were to one to design this place Princess." He deadpanned.

"I must have been fucking drunk! I'm so totally redesigning this place later. Clio! Make a note of that!" she ordered playfully.

"We'll discuss matters of redesigning later; I believe you need to feed right now." He pointed at Aria, who was now supporting Terri's sitting form.

"Ack, in public? Now? Can I at least get some privacy?" she whined. Richard raised an eyebrow and fixated a stare at her and she withdrew. "Fine, fine, sheesh. So demanding. 'Wake up Princess.' 'Get up Princess'. 'Don't walk on your own Princess.' 'Try not to bleed all over me Princess.' 'Feed Princess.' So demanding." She mocked.

Bailey rolled her eyes at her actions whilst the others just giggled at her petulance. Turning to Aria, she kissed her neck gently, before sinking her fangs in. Lucia and Callie winced slightly at the action whilst Aria held onto her head tightly.

When she had finished feeding, she licked playfully at Aria's neck, drawing a giggle from her, before pulling away looking less pale than before.

"You're so playful right now, T."

"It's most likely the blood loss and the concussion she's currently sporting." Richard's deep voice explained, causing them to look at Terri, who had buried herself comfortably in Aria's arms, in concern. "Our champ here took out the entire building and I'm pretty sure she took most of brunt of it with her head since she's pretty hard headed, so apologies Lucia, it seems that you'll need to rebuild your gym, and most of your garden." Terri stuck her tongue out at him at his playful insult and Lucia waved off the apology.

"All material things, and they can be rebuilt, our Princess here, however, can't. So I'm glad that she's okay." Lucia's voice was warm and she came to Terri's side, helping Aria lift her into a standing position.

"Okay might be stretching a bit," As she stood up, she suddenly paled. "I think I'm gonna…" She never got to finish her sentence as she dropped, her sudden slackness and increased weight was unexpected and they were unable to support her, resulting in her falling forwards, face first. Arizona flashed in front to catch her.

"Thanks Ari, you're the best." Her voice was weak and so quiet she barely caught it. Holding tightly to her best friend, her cousin and her only remaining family member, she pulled her head into her neck as weak arms came around her shoulders.

"It's alright now T, I've got you. You'll be okay. I'm here for you. Take whatever you need, I'll protect you." She stroked her hand gently down the back of her head and felt fangs slowly pierce her skin. It didn't last long as the Princess went slack again and began to drop; she tightened her grip immediately. "T? Terri!"

"Quickly, into the tank Miranda" Richard's commanding voice shot them all into action. Thalia and Clio ran to get blood packs and Richard's serum from one of the rooms, Bailey ran into another and turned on the light, Richard walked up to Arizona and lifted the Princess from her easily, carrying her into the room with Miranda.

They all entered the room as was shocked to see the bizarreness of the set up. In the centre was the 'tank', which was a pod like thing surrounded by tubes and machines, it emitted a low green glow, and when they opened it smoke emerged from inside. Terri was placed inside and sealed immediately, the machines all came to life and starting examining the entity inside, numbers and scans appeared on the screens as Bailey attached blood packs and other things into their allocated spots.

"Now what?"

"Now, we wait."


	19. Chapter 19: Evolution

A.N: Aaaaaand, I'm back! Wow I've had a long week, but I've finally managed to get out a new chapter!

**To Jessica Torres-Robbins: **Welcome back! Hope you had fun on your travels =] and many thanks for all the praises, I take them all with no shame and bask in how great you're making me feel, so thanks!

**To AZsgirl: **Thanks for all the love, for my story and for my original character. Hope the new chapter doesn't disappoint.

**To nikki: **Tim killed Graham? Who said that? I don't know what you're talking about =P. I don't usually use terms of endearment, but it just seemed to fit, and I feel like it's something Aria would use =]. Sorry for the long wait, I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner, so long as work doesn't get in the way and my mind continues to work with me.

**To ryshai: ** Awww, thanks, you're so sweet. I would totally love to see what it would look like if this was made into an animation or something, the special effects would be awesome!

**To CaseyJr: **Don't worry about Terri, I love her too much to kill her!

Ooooh, guess what my Captain did for me? She made a cover for my story! Did I mention she was awesome?

Beta'd by **2damnpretty2die**, she said she wasn't feeling to well during, and she still managed to help me. How awesome is she? Feel better soon Captain! And keep the redbull away from the girls, it's dangerous! =P

Enjoy!x

* * *

Chapter 19: Evolution

General p.o.v

"Ah, I'm glad to see you're awake."

After two long days, he had awoken in an unfamiliar bed, making his way out to the main hall; Tim was greeted by the site of Hades sitting atop his 'throne' in the centre on the room.

"Of course, my Lord." He bowed deeply, in a sign of respect, before straightening back up again.

"How are you feeling, young Apollo?" The elder vampire's voice was deep and smoky, his eyes sharp as he stared at Tim, mouth curled into a gentle smile.

"I am feeling a lot better, thanks." He looked around seeing nothing but marked strays milling around, "Has Styx not awoken yet?"

"Ah, my darling daughter," Hades let out a chuckle, "it would seem that she had underestimated our little Princess, so she's still recovering in her room."

"It's the serum isn't it" Tim stated. Hades raised a brow, fixating a cold stare that made him question his own bluntness. "She said she used the serum of the Seers, that's what's setting back her recovery right?"

Tim could feel the sweat gathering at his forehead as Hades continued staring at him in silence. He dropped down to one knee preparing to beg for forgiveness over his rudeness, when Hades suddenly let out a chuckle. Looking up, Tim saw that while he was laughing, there was nothing but coldness in his eyes.

"I always knew you were smart Apollo, it's a good thing you're on _my_ side, otherwise I'd worry about all of my secrets being discovered."

Dropping his head as low as possible, Tim surrendered himself at the feet of the intimidating vampire. "Of course my Lord, I live to serve only my Lord."

"Very good. Now, come young Apollo."

"Where to my Lord?"

"There's someone I'd like you to finally meet."

Head filled with questions; Tim blindly followed Hades as he left through a door on his right. They walked through endless corridors, passing numerous doors, walking down a set of stairs leading into a dark cellar, before finally stopping at an iron door guarded by two large and muscular vampires. He watched as they dropped to one knee at the sight of the elder vampire, who waved them away, and the door opened revealing two figures lying on the floor, both with large cuffs around their feet with long chains attached to the wall. There were symbols drawn all around the room and it smelled of nothing but blood and dirt.

"Oh Danny, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Hades stated gleefully.

'Danny' looked up at Tim who was frozen in shock. Hazel eyes, obscured by long dirty blond hair, that he'd recognise even in his sleep, stared straight at him.

"D-d-dad?" There in the room was Poseidon, and beside him, dulled blue eyes obscured by blonde hair caked with dried blood looked up, revealing herself to be Aphrodite. "M-mom?" His hands clenched inside his pockets, where he had placed them, the shock overriding every emotion he had.

"Timmy!" She cried out, voice laced with relief at the sight of her son. Poseidon, on the other hand, straightened up as much as possible with his restraints and stared coldly at the two at the door.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He demanded.

"I-I-I" Tim stuttered, unable to complete his sentence.

"My, my Danny, so cold. I thought you'd be happier that I'd brought you your son. He's just like you, so smart and strong, lucky for him though he was smart enough to join me in my endeavour for unity." Hades' reply was playful and it angered Poseidon, he growled and launched himself at him, but was slammed back to the ground as the symbols on the walls started glowing and his chains tightened.

"Leave my son out of this!" He roared.

"Oh Danny, always so blind to the truth. _Timmy_ here joined me of his own free will. In fact _he_ was the one who came to me _begging_ to be taken under my wing. He didn't like the treatment he received from Nathaniel and Teresa, so he left." Hades gloated.

"_Zeus_ is a great man and a better King than you will _ever_ be! And Athena would _never_ harm another Royal, especially not one of mine!"

"Oh Danny," Hades sighed dramatically, "Always such a loyal follower of our dearest brother, too bad that loyalty will only lead to your death. If only you had joined me when I asked you too. Oh well, come now Timmy, it would seem that your parents are most hostile right now, you can come back later when they've calmed down."

Tim was still frozen and had followed Hades' retreating footsteps by instinct alone, but not before accidentally dropping a pouch from when he had removed his hands from his pockets. Aphrodite noticed it immediately and when she recognised what it was, a tear fell from her eye. _"Athena…"_

* * *

Waking up, Terri found herself in a sterile white room, on top of a bed so soft; it felt like lying on clouds. There was movement next to her, and when she opened her eyes she was confronted with a mop of black hair. Sleepy brown eyes opened briefly, locking with hers, and closing again, before suddenly snapping open once again and filling with tears.

"Terri! You're awake!" Aria was ecstatic, and had shot up in bed when she realised that Terri's open eyes were staring at her.

"Y-yeah, I guess so." Her voice cracked slightly from the dry throat she suddenly had, and Aria handed her a glass of water sitting by the bedside table. "Thanks, how long have I been asleep?"

"Two days. Bailey and Richard removed you from the pod this morning; they said you were pretty much healed, and just needed to rest." She studied her lying figure for a moment before launching into her arms. "God, I'm so glad your awake, you scared me!" Tears had started falling, and Terri could feel them collecting on her neck.

"I'm sorry, I'm here now." She reassured the distraught woman, arms coming around her waist holding tightly. "It's okay, I'm here now."

"Don't ever do that again!" Aria's voice was muffled by her shoulder, but Terri could hear her loud and clear.

"I can't promise that Aria, you know that." She pulled back and looked at her with a gentle smile.

"I know, but can't you just humour me a little? Just pretend to say yes or something?"

"I could, but I don't want to lie to you." Terri's voice was so soft and honest, Aria could feel her smile transforming into a wide grin.

"That's one of the things I love the most about you."

"You love me?" Terri teased.

"Shut up!" Aria rebuked before leaning in and stopping just moments away from Terri's lips and whispered "I _like_ you a lot, but I would _love_ you more if you'd just kiss me right now."

A wide grin overtook Terri's face and her hands came up, on to cradle the back of Aria's head and the other against her cheek, "Your wish is my command." She pulled her into a gentle kiss and Aria sighed at the contact.

* * *

They left the room shortly to meet with the rest of the team who greeted Terri's arrival with joy and happiness.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better Princess." Richard's deep voice cut through all the excited chatter, drawing attention to himself. Terri nodded and bowed her head slightly at the tall man.

"Thank you Richard, you saved my life." Gratitude was heavily laced in her tone and beside her Aria also bowed her head.

"God, Princess, don't. It's my job as a healer to help those in need and it's my job as an _elder_ to protect the royal family. So please, don't bow to me Princess, I don't deserve it." There was slight panic in his voice at their actions and Terri smiled gently at him before straightening up.

"You saved my life Richard, you deserve the recognition regardless of your status. So just take my gratitude without protest." She insisted and he nodded at her in acquiesce.

"Wait, you're an _elder_?" Callie's tone was filled with disbelief as she stared at the elder man.

"Yup, right hand man of my father the King. One of the two highest elders with the most authority next to my father and I, Mnemosyne too." Terri answered proudly.

Callie and Aria snapped their attention to their mother, "You're Zeus' left hand?"

"No Calliope," Lucia answered with a chuckle, "I'm an elder yes, but I'm the high advisor of the court of Zeus, and _not_ his left hand."

"So who's the left hand then?" Addison asked.

"A secret." Terri answered with a grin, drawing disappointed sighs around the room. "Sorry, but I can't reveal _all_ the secrets of the court ya know?"

"What _is_ 'the court' anyway?" Addison asked instead.

"It's a group of elders that advise and aid Zeus' ruling of the kingdom, a little bit like a council… Well, it _is_ a council, but we just have a different name for it, a more old-school one." Terri's reply drew giggles and a roll of the eyes from Richard and Bailey.

"Right, well… We have matters that need to be discussed Princess." Richard noted.

"Ya know Richard, if you _insist_ on calling me by my title, then I _insist_ you call me by my right one." Terri teased.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked, curious about the talk of titles whilst there were bigger issues at hand.

"Well, seeing as my father is currently… indisposed shall we say? Too busy? On vacation? Either way, he's not around at the moment, so I hold the highest authority and according to the laws, I currently take position of the throne. So even if it's temporary, technically, I'm the Queen right now."

The room dropped into silence as they stared at her in shock and bewilderment.

"Or should I say 'King'? I don't know, how does this work, my bride would be the 'Queen' so does that mean I'm a 'King'?" Terri pouted slightly at the thought, "I don't wanna be a 'King', that's really not cool." She received no reply as they were still staring at her frozen in astonishment.

Richard cleared his throat, bringing them all back from their musings, "Yes, well *ahem* regardless, _my Lord_, there are things we must do."

Terri sighed, "always so serious Elder."

"It's regarding Artemis' evolution." She snapped her mouth shut and looked towards Arizona, holding the attention of clear blue eyes.

"What about it?"

"We need to help her reach the stage of her true form."

Her eyes never left Arizona's, "Is this what you wish for?" Arizona held her head up proudly, determination never once wavering and declared with utmost conviction.

"It's what I want, no, _need_. We've already lost Tim, we need as much power as possible." Her eyes quivered slightly at the mention of Tim, but she powered through and her resolve shone through again.

"Very well. Arizona, Calliope, come with me. The rest of you relax for a little while, Thalia and Clio will put you through hell in the next few days, so rest up!"

"Wait, why me as well?" Callie protested.

"We've already been through this before haven't we? You're part of Arizona's strength now, so if she wants to reach the full stage of evolution, then you'll need to help her." Terri rolled her eyes slightly, "besides, you're Ari's biggest distraction, so in order for her to train herself to be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared, you'll need to be there too."

Callie looked thoughtfully at Arizona, waiting for her to lead, and when she nodded, they followed Terri into another room.

* * *

On entering the room, they noticed that it was mostly empty, the floors were padded, the walls had a variety of swords and there were a few tables with candles on them.

"This is the meditation room; it's also where I was granted the access to my full form." Terri answered their unspoken questions.

"Granted access?" Arizona asked.

"Yeah, you need to have access to the form before being able to utilise it. It's a little bit annoying, but you have to convince your 'other' self that you're worthy of carrying the full powers and potential of your avatar." She explained

"What do you mean by 'avatar'?"

"Don't you find it weird that only the Royal family are granted dual names? We have our 'human' names and our 'blessed' names from the Seers. Most other vampires go on daily in both worlds with their birth name, but we have two, have you never questioned that?"

"Not really, I mean Lucia has two names, but she's not a Royal."

"Yes, but she was born human, and when she was taken under Theia's wing, she officially left her human life and was born again as 'Mnemosyne'. She took on the name 'Lucia' when she ran from the war and Hades, so if she hadn't disappeared, she would still be known today as only 'Mnemosyne'. Have you ever asked about your mother's maiden name Callie?"

"Not really, all my life she's always introduced herself as 'Lucia Torres', I never even thought about it." Callie replied.

"Well, that's because she doesn't have one, not really anyway. I think, that for fun, she took on the human name 'Lucia _Syne_'." Callie stared at her with wide eyes, "I know, it's stupid, but that was only temporary, and to avoid people asking why she didn't have one. She never used it, only if she needed to sign official documents, so she only went by 'Lucia', then she married your father and became 'Lucia Torres'."

"Okay then, so what about the Royals? Why do they have dual names?" Callie returned to the original point.

"Our regular names are used on a daily basis and our 'vampire' names are used to differential between us and the regular vampires." Arizona nodded having known this already, "But it also represents another thing: our true form. As 'Teresa Ryans' I am a regular person, or vampire, the name 'Ryans' already separates myself from the others, but as 'Athena' I represent the Crown, and more importantly, 'Athena' is my true name; the name I am recognised by as the Royalty, and more importantly, the name of the 'being' that grants me the power of evolution."

"So, I have to _ask_ 'Artemis' to give me the power?" Arizona asked, slightly confused.

"Not exactly, it's more like you have to confront 'Artemis' in her true form and _prove_ you worthiness of her granting you the power."

"And how do I do that?"

"That's where this room and I come in. 'Artemis' is a part of you, without a doubt, so you must delve into your consciousness, call upon her, and confront her."

"O…kay?" Arizona still had no clue what she meant, she looked at Callie to see her just as confused and Terri chuckled at them.

"Come on, I'll show you what I mean. Sit." Terri took off her shoes and walked to the centre of the room, sitting down on the floors with her legs crossed. Arizona and Callie followed after removing their shoes, and sat down in front of her.

"Right so you both need to close your eyes and remove yourself from everything but my voice. Listen to my guidance and you'll both eventually meet 'Artemis' in her true form."

With their eyes closed, they never noticed Terri's eyes glowing white as Zeus' symbol appeared on her forehead, red aura pulsing around her and spreading around them all as a red circle formed around them covered in symbols.

"Just listen to my voice and relax.

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

"_Just listen to my voice and relax."_

I could feel an energy pulsing around me, I could feel Calliope's presence beside me, I could feel Terri's unbelievable aura in front of me, I could feel every single moving and breathing thing around me within this entire building, and then suddenly, I felt nothing.

"_Dive in deep, deep into the core of your power."_

I concentrated on centring myself, trying to find the source of my powers, but failing. I let out a sigh of frustration.

"_Concentrate Ari. It's not that hard to find once you've recognised it's presence. It should feel warm and possibly slightly intimidating, but don't be afraid of it. Embrace it and allow it to overcome you, allow it to possess you, share your mind with it and grant it the access it seeks."_

I focused on finding the warmth she was talking about, and when I finally did find it, it was incredible, and yet so terrifying. It felt so dark and cold, yet at the same time, when I reached it, it felt like it was burning me. I forced myself to confront it and felt the pain course through my body. I could feel my brows furrowing at the pain.

"_Do not fear it, embrace it. The more you fear it, the more it will hurt you. You're not accepting it and it's trying to force its way in."_

Easy for her to say! I almost growled in frustration before remembering that she had gone through the same thing years before, most likely not long after being crowned. The thought of her as a young girl going through this fed my determination and I faced the coldness head on.

_This is a part of me right? This darkness is what I felt when I had first woke up after the revival. The darkness does not feel evil, but rather… lonely. Have I neglected you for too long Artemis? I'm sorry… I will no longer avoid and supress you any longer. I am here to seek you, I am here _for_ you, I am here _because_ of you, and I _fear _you no longer. So come, I am waiting._

The sudden on rush of darkness, coldness, and pain faded away into warmth and love, acceptance. I felt invigorated and energised, and it was amazing.

_Is this what I've been hiding from all these years? _

I couldn't believe how great it felt, and beside me, I could feel Calliope in the same state as I was. How as it that I could _still_ feel her now?

"_Calliope is a part of you as you are a part of her. The bond you share links you both in more ways than one, it links you in body and mind, so you will share everything, including the experience of confronting Artemis."_

I was stunned at her answering of my questions, could she hear me?

"_Yes I can, I am currently guiding your consciousness, so please refrain from 'certain thoughts' about your mate, _please_"_

I could feel Calliope's mortification and felt myself blush at her statement, and almost involuntarily _all_ I could think about was Calliope. I tried to supress those thoughts as much as I could instantly.

"_It's okay, let the love of your mate guide you. Accept their presence and you will meet in your subconscious realm…"_

Terri's voice started to fade and I panicked slightly.

"_This is as far as I can guide you, the rest is up to you. I will remain with your physical bodies maintaining the protective guard, good luck."_

* * *

My eyes opened and I found myself in a large field. It was absolutely stunning, there were trees vibrant with life everywhere, the grass was long and the smell overtook my sense instantly, the sounds of birds could be heard and there were the odd butterfly or two flying around. A warm breeze blew through the fields and I found myself in complete awe at the scenery, closing my eyes and expanding my senses to fully appreciate the peacefulness presented to me.

The sudden presence behind me alerted me instantly and I turned to see Calliope staring in amazement around her. When our eyes locked I felt the love and warmth fill my being, I held out a hand to her which she came and took instantly and pulled her into me.

"It's beautiful here Ari." Her voice was soft and low, as if afraid to disturb the peacefulness around.

"Of course it is, this is the mind of Arizona Robbins after all. She desires nothing more than to live in a world like this with you Calliope." A voice behind us shocked us and I turned, placing Calliope behind me, and took up a defensive position, which faltered when I saw the third person.

She stood tall, with long blonde hair reaching to about her waist with blue streaks running through it, her eyes were golden, and her fangs elongated; on her back were a pair of wings, pure and white just like Terri's, and on her forehead was a navy symbol of Neptune, for Poseidon, proudly displayed.

"Artemis." I whispered and I could hear Calliope's sharp intake of air.

"I've been waiting for you to finally come." Her voice had a slight echo to it and I could feel her power flickering all around us.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, but I'm here now, and I wish for you to grant me your power."

"It doesn't work like that Arizona." Her voice was amused.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't just _give_ you power, you have to _earn _it."

"Earn it?"

"Prove to me that you are worthy of my power. Fight me for it."

I stared at her stunned, fight her? I couldn't do it. Calliope's hand tightened around mine and I felt the energy inside me start to build.

"I'm here for you Ari, I believe in you." Her voice was filled with sincerity and I was determined not to fail her. If I wanted to protect her, then I needed to prove to Artemis, to Calliope and to myself that I could do it. I squeezed her hand gently before removing my hand and walking towards Artemis who had a grin on her face.

My fangs emerged and my eyes turned purple, a gush of aura flooded out and surrounded my body in a strong, unwavering purple; I was prepared to fight.

Artemis' grin widened into a smile, teeth exposed, as I took up my stance. Her golden eyes brightened and she was engulfed in a navy aura, it was so powerful I could feel it in my veins.

_Jesus, she's so strong. Is that what I could have? If I defeat her, will I become like that too? Is this what Terri has? No, hers is much stronger. Her aura was stronger than Artemis' currently is when she revealed her form that day, and Lucia had said that was only part of her power. How strong _is_ Terri? How much has she grown since I first met the little 8 year old girl? How far have I fallen behind? What possessed Terri to strive for such power, what is she fighting for, _who_ is she fighting for and how much has she suffered for that power?_

My admiration and respect for Terri grew slightly after seeing Artemis' display of power. I was proud of her achievements and I wanted to repay her for everything she had ever done for me, I wanted to repay her by achieving my evolution and getting stronger to help her, and I wanted her to be proud of me.

"Bring it, Artemis." I grinned.

I dodged to my left desperately as Artemis lunged, with speed so amazing, I barely managed to avoid her claws. She flashed passed me and turned swiftly, hands ablaze with flames, and launched them at me. Summoning ice around my forearms, I blocked the attack and launched my own flames at her, but she waved them off easily, grinning at my futile attempts.

"Is that all you have Arizona?" she questioned coolly. I felt the anger build quickly at her taunting. _You're part of _me_, you don't get to judge me; you have no right to judge me!_

I charged at her again, claws at the ready, and shimmered out of sight just before I reached her. I had prepared to surprise her from behind, but she was ready and had been expecting the attack. I hit air and was suddenly launched into the air and slammed straight back down just as ruthlessly by a blow to the back, enhanced by her powers. The ground around me cracked and split on impact and I groaned at the pain, I could hear Calliope's gasped 'Arizona!' and forced myself back onto my feet quickly. I looked at Artemis who was standing a few feet in front of me in a relaxed position, arms crossed lightly across her chest, eyes watching me coolly and a smug grin on her face.

_Who the hell do you think you are? I'm better than you, I'm stronger than you, I _own_ you! I own this body and you're only a part of this, a part of me! _

My aura flared up, tinges of gold appearing, and my speed geared up. Catching Artemis off guard, I managed to stun her with a bolt of lightning and land a fist across her cheek, splitting her lip in the process. I tried to follow through after the punch, but she had already spun onto one hand and a kick to the stomach separated me from her. Her movements were graceful and she landed perfectly onto her feet again, swiping upwards with her claws and catching me on my left shoulder. Pain pulsed from the wound and blood fell, but I ignored it and chanced another attack. Pushing off with my left foot, I tried to bind her with my energy, but her wings spread and straightened out, letting out a strong pulse of energy and wind, I was forced backwards onto the floor.

I staggered to my feet, holding onto my shoulder and glared at her, watching a wide grin stretch across her face as her tongue peered out to lick at the blood on her lips. Her eyes seemed to brighten at the taste and I felt myself shiver at the sight.

"Ari, are you okay?" I heard Calliope's worried voice as she came closer behind me.

"I'm fine, stay back!" I ordered, holding out a hand to halt any further movements. I noticed that my hand was tinged with gold and stared at Calliope in wonder. Her eyes had turned gold and I could see a faint aura surrounding her. I looked at my hand again and back at her, she nodded and I smiled as I saw the aura around her grow, feeling the energy race through my own body and fill me with power. The purple aura around me brightened as golden energy started to swirl around, almost protectively, and my eyes swirled along with the golden energy.

Looking back towards Artemis, I grinned. "Shall we continue?"

She tilted her head curiously, before smirking at my newfound confidence.

* * *

_I have to beat her, I _need_ to. If I want to protect Calliope, to protect Terri, to protect my family, I have to succeed. _

We clashed and the energy exploded around us sending debris flying, I briefly worried about Calliope's wellbeing, but spotted that she had erected a barrier around her from the corner of my eye and refocused my attention on the being in front of me. However, my brief lapse in concentration was enough for Artemis to notice and take advantage as I found a hand directly in front of my face, pulsing as the energy charged up around it.

_Shit, this is gonna hurt_.

Light enveloped me and before I could blink, I found myself in a crater; the ground having collapsed around me on impact and pain erupted throughout my entire body. _Fuck, this _really_ hurts. _

I struggled to make my way out of the crater and stood on shaky legs to face Artemis, who was staring down at me with an amused smirk.

"This, _this_ is all you have to offer and you want to become an _Ascended one?_" She scoffed, "You've got to be kidding me Arizona, you're too weak to handle my power, just give up before you get hurt."

I could see the while her mouth was curled into a grin, her eyes told a different story, they were cold and… was that? Is that sadness? Disappointment?

_She's disappointed in me; she's disappointed that her host is such a weakling. No, dammit, I'm not weak! I'll fucking prove to her that I'm not._

"Ari!" Calliope's footsteps were coming closer and the rage came from nowhere.

"I told you to fucking stay back Calliope, you'll just distract me!" I growled at her, baring my fangs, which looked a lot more threatening with the blood that had spilled from my mouth. "Stay back and stay the fuck out of my way!" She came to an immediate halt, eyes widened in fear, shock and sadness, and I felt guilty, but the rage was clouding my senses, clouding my worry over her, and clouding my ability to think straight.

I turned back to Artemis who had a deep frown marring her brows, and charged. I was thrown back again and again, but I kept lunging for her, the rage overshadowing my pain and judgements; I could still see her disappointed eyes, and that fuelled my anger and rage.

_Don't fucking judge me! You belong to me and no one has the right to say otherwise. You _will_ submit to me, I _will_ succeed the evolution and no one, nothing, can stop me!_

I was finally taken down; flat on my back in another crater as Artemis floated above me, wings flapping gently, supporting her. The golden aura no longer surrounded me and the darkened purple aura started to flicker and fade. The pain invaded my entire being and I could no longer move. Artemis sighed deeply and raised an arm up, palm facing me as energy began to gather and increase in size as it charged. Her eyes were crestfallen and voice frustrated.

"You're not ready." She closed her eyes, clearly let down by the turn of events, and fired off the large ball of energy. There was nothing I could do, but accept my fate. I was too weak and had to suffer to consequences. I couldn't protect Calliope, or Terri or anyone else, I couldn't even protect myself. I was, _am_ too weak and I don't deserve Artemis.

There was a sudden flash of red and white as the energy collided with another and my eyes widened.

"Calliope!"

* * *

Callie's p.o.v

I felt myself cringe as Arizona took hit after hit and had to physically restrain myself from running to her side. This was her fight and I couldn't get involved, but it didn't mean I didn't want to. When she took a strike to the shoulder and blood starting pouring out, I couldn't hold myself back any longer.

"Ari, are you okay?" I ran towards her back, but was halted by her hand.

"I'm fine, stay back!" I saw that around her purple aura, there was a faint gold and felt my own body resonate with the power. It started pulsing and I could feel my eyes changing as Arizona stared at me stunned. My mother's words echoed in my head.

_"As her mate, she draws strength from you and you provide the support she needs."_

I knew what she needed and nodded at her to show my understanding and support. I would give her everything I had, and now that we were fully bonded, I was ready to take on whatever happened. I focused on channelling my energy and as my aura grew, I saw a smile on her face as the golden energy began to infiltrate her own purple aura.

"Shall we continue?" My heart warmed at the newfound confidence that had overtaken her, knowing that my support had strengthened her own will, and watched as the two of them clashed again.

The explosion of energy from the impact was powerful and destroyed everything within immediate distance, sending wind and debris flying around. _Jesus, they're so powerful. _I gasped as a large branch from a nearby tree broke and came flying towards me, and subconsciously, my hand shot out and a barrier formed around me.

There was a sudden bright light above me and I saw Arizona take a full shot head on, and came crashing down hard into the ground, breaking the ground around her. _No… Get up Ari, come on. _There was no movement from the crater and I felt my heart drop. _Where are you Ari, get up. Come on baby, come on now._

I let out a sigh of relief as I saw a shaky Arizona climb her way out of the hole, and without second thought I ran straight for her.

"Ari!" _God, just let me help, I can heal you._

"I told you to fucking stay back Calliope, you'll just distract me! Stay back and stay the fuck out of my way!" I skidded to a stop and recoiled in shock. She had basically growled at me, as if _I _was the enemy. Her mouth was covered with blood, _her_ blood, and when she bared her fangs, the anger and murderous look in her eyes, it reminded me of the time she had confronted Graham. A look that was now aimed at _me_ broke my heart, and no matter how much we had moved on from the past, I couldn't stop the fear from overtaking my body. I was frozen to the spot and could do nothing but watch as Arizona let the anger and rage rule her body and mind.

I watched helplessly as Arizona mindlessly charged at Artemis over and over again; only to be knocked away over and over again. Her body was now riddled with cuts and bruises, blood pouring from her wounds, but she had yet to show signs of slowing or stopping her constant attacks. Artemis finally caught her off guard and she was taken down ruthlessly, falling with great speed straight into the ground. When the dust cleared, I saw that Arizona was in another crater, unmoving, and Artemis was floating gently above her looking down at her with mixed emotions swirling in her eyes.

"You're not ready." Artemis had gathered a terrifying amount of energy, ready to launch at Arizona and I felt horrified at the thought. She was lying there, with diminishing aura, helpless and powerless to avoid the attack. The need to protect Arizona, my love, my mate, my everything, clouded my senses and a sudden rush of energy propelled me forward, intercepting the attack with my own body.

* * *

_I would do anything and everything to protect Arizona, even if it cost me my own life. I would die for her, I would kill for her, and I would give everything I am to her, if it meant she was safe. _

It was the only thought running through my mind as the energy collided with my own body, but strangely, I felt nothing but warmth and power filling my body and mind.

"Calliope!" Arizona's frantic cry cut through my self-examination, and I opened my eyes to see Artemis standing in front of me in a relaxed stance, no longer prepared to attack, and a warm and loving smile on her face.

Turning to check on Arizona, I was shocked when white filled my vision. _What the… Are those… Wings?_

I turned around fully to face Arizona and saw her staring up at me in shock. "Calliope…" Her voice was soft and awe.

"What happened to me?" I asked her, just as shocked. This was supposed to be about Arizona's ascension, yet somehow, I was the one that had managed to evolve.

"I-I don't know."

"You've achieve the Ascended form." Artemis answered.

"But why? This was about Arizona, and not me, so why?"

"Because you're her mate. The mate of the royal is also granted a form, all of the mates possess the same form of red eyes and white wings, and you've apparently just unlocked yours."

"All the mates have the same form?" Was Arizona's confused question.

"Yes, Queen Rhea had the form, as does Lady Aphrodite."

"What about Terri's mom? Or Erica's mom?"

Artemis growled slightly at the mention of two women. "They were not granted the form, because they were not their true mates."

"Then why me? Why now?" I pleaded, desperate for answers.

"This test was not just for Arizona alone. The two of you are linked through your bond, and both of you are needed to access the form for greater power. However, just because one of you achieve the form does not mean that the other automatically gains the form, you have to earn it."

"And how is it that I have 'earned' this form?"

"By offering your life in exchange for Arizona's" her voice was filled with happiness, but it was still confusing me.

"How does that affect anything?" she sighed slightly at my cluelessness and I looked at Arizona to see that she was equally lost.

"All this time Calliope, you've stated that you wanted to save Arizona, to help her, and to protect her, but when have you ever done anything to show that? You love her, that is without doubt and you trust her to lead you, but every time anything happens, Arizona commands you to stay back and _be_ protected, and you listen. You do nothing, providing her with power, until the fight is over and then you go and heal her. That, in the eyes of the Avatar, does not seem to be protecting, saving, or helping her. If Arizona was to die, there would be nothing to heal, and you would have done essentially nothing but watch as she was cut down. But by intercepting my attack you are no longer _being_ protected, but _doing_ the protection, and it means that you are fully accepting your role as Arizona's true mate." The joy and happiness was slowly returning to her voice as she reached the end of her explanation and realisation dawned upon me as to why. Arizona was her host, and by accepting my role as Arizona's true mate, it meant accepting my role as _her_ mate as well, it made her happy that someone loved her host enough to give their lives for her, and in turn it meant that someone loved _her_ just as much.

I turned, fearful of what Arizona's reaction to my ascension would be, only to find her lying flat on her back, arms crossed and pouting towards the sky.

"It's _so_ not fair! I get thrown around like a ragdoll and achieve nothing and all Calliope has to do is run in front of an attack and _boom!_ She's ascended. I'm the one who's all beat up and bleeding and all I get is a pat on the head and a 'try harder next time', sooooo not fair Calliope!" she whined, and I smiled at her childlike antics; all the earlier anger and rage had faded away at the sight of my new form.

"Arizona, it takes a lot of courage, bravery and conviction to jump in front of an attack that was _aimed_ to kill, there was nothing easy about it. She was prepared to die for you." Artemis' tone was stern and scolding, but in a playful manner.

Arizona sobered immediately and her eyes softened as they landed on me, "I know, and I love her for it, and I'm also kind of pissed off that she thought it'd be okay to die protecting me and leave me all alone. But I'm just frustrated."

"A part of the trial is also about _your_ understanding of your mate's role in this. You have to accept her love and protection, it's not just about _you_ protecting her, you need to allow _her_ to protect you as well. It's an equal partnership with equal amounts of give and take."

Arizona looked thoughtful, and her eyes shone with determination as she held her hand up to me, I grabbed onto her tightly and helped her up. She stood and fell into my embrace, holding me tightly for a while before pulling back, leaving a hand around my waist as she faced Artemis.

"Let's try this again" she turned to me, and smiled softly, "together."

A wide grin spread across her face and I felt both our auras resonating and flaring up brightly, gold surrounding the both of us filling us with energy and power, "together."

* * *

We both faced off against Artemis, Arizona with her bright purple aura tinged with gold and me with my new form, eyes red, wings straightened as they supported me in the air, the mark of Artemis from Arizona proudly shining a new dark blue and a strong golden aura around me.

We worked perfectly as a pair, whenever Arizona would attack, I would defend and when she defended I would use the advantage to attack. Artemis proudly held up against us, wide smile and eyes bright, and her aura flaring up stronger and stronger.

Eventually, both Arizona and Artemis summoned their swords and began to clash, sparks flying every time their swords met. They clashed and were stuck in a deadlock, both jumping backwards into a defensive stance; Arizona in front of me, both hands clenched tightly around her sword in front of her and Artemis across from her, right hand wrapped around her sword that was held out towards the side, pointed towards the floor. The studied each other briefly before Artemis made the first moved, charging straight for us. I stepped forwards against Arizona's back and my wings came around the both of us, aura flaring up, acting as a shield blocking her attack, I pulled them back sharply and Arizona launched her right arm forward, blade in hand and catching Artemis off guard. Her sword was knocked out of her hands and Arizona had her blade against her throat.

Artemis let out a chuckle, holding up her right hand and declaring, "I lose," before placing the same hand against Arizona's heart. There was a bright burst of light that blinded me; I felt the pressure drop and air thicken as I was overwhelmed by a sudden increase of power. _Jesus Christ almighty, it's so strong. _I could feel my entire body shaking at the presence of the new power, it was incredibly strong and powerful, and I could feel the mark on my chest tingling. The light finally faded away, and when my vision returned I was rewarded with the sight of Arizona with long blonde hair with blue streaks running through, white wings stood proudly on her back, and when she turned to look at me I saw the navy symbol of Neptune, the sign of Poseidon, shining brightly on her forehead. Slowly, she opened her eyes, which I noticed were now completely golden, and her aura started to flare up a strong navy.

"Ari…" She smiled at me and I literally flew into her arms.

"I love you Calliope." Her voice was low and husky and I shivered involuntarily at it.

"I love you too." I was drawn into a kiss that slowly heated up, but a low chuckling interrupted us. Breaking apart, we both turned to see Artemis grinning widely at us.

"I love you guys too!" She teased, and we all laughed. "Seriously though, I'm proud of the both of you, and I'm proud to be your avatar Arizona. You're strong and I know you'll easily overcome the issues of control and maintenance of the new form."

"Thank you Artemis, and I'm sorry for neglecting you all these years" Arizona's voice was filled with guilt and I could feel her emotions. I felt more in tuned with Arizona than ever, and I wondered if it was because of the new forms.

"All is forgiven, I understand why you did it, and I never blamed you. You're here now, and you've obviously accepted my position in your life, so it's okay now. Now go, the Crown is waiting."

Before we knew what was happening, we were drawn back into darkness, Artemis' voice following us.

"No matter what happens, believe in each other; trust in each other and together, you will have the power to overcome anything."

* * *

We opened our eyes to see that we were back in the meditating room with Terri, her eyes were white as the golden symbol of Zeus shone brightly on her forehead. She smiled as she noticed our returned and stared intently at us for a while.

"I'm glad you both survived and succeeded. Terri's voice was full of pride and I felt Arizona sit up straighter. "There is much training you must undergo, but we need to move out now." Her voice got tighter towards the end and my curiosity perked up.

"Move out?" I asked.

"There has been movement in Hades' camp, and we must get to Poseidon and Aphrodite now."

I gasped at the mention of Arizona's parents and glanced at her to see her jaw clenching.

"Where are we going?" Her voice was low and filled with anger.

"Boston."


	20. Chapter 20: Elizabeth Lewis

A.N: It's taken so long to finally complete my chapters; work has been getting in the way! I went from working 2-3 days a week, to a full on 7 day job! But I'm excited, are you excited?

Less action, more planning and conversation in this chapter, but the next one gets juicy =] That's already on the way!

**To addictedgeek: **Hey nikki! Glad to see you're still here. I'm not saying a single thing about Tim and Graham, you can figure that out yourself ;) lol, the next chapter will be awesome, I promise! (at least I hope it will =P)

**To ellehcimj: **Dedicated reader! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, don't stay up too late though, sleep is good, sleep is awesome! I miss sleep!

**To Jessica Torres-Robbins: **Don't hate on Tim too much! I'm glad you liked the Callie/Arizona scenes, I feel like there's so much to focus on and not enough scenes of each pairing, like Teddy/Addison and Mark/Lexie, they've been mentioned, but there's not enough between them! Hope the wait wasn't too long, and I'll try to get the next one up asap!

**To ShuFly: **I'm sorry to say that happy times will not be in the near future, not yet anyways =[. There's so much angst and drama that has to happen before any good can come, I've spent too much time away from the main plot, I mean the main villains didn't even come into play until chapter 11! I'll try to include _some_ happier scenes though!

**To ryshai:** CaseyJr suggested that I have a scene where Callie protects Arizona and she pouts like a baby at that and I fulfilled their request! I do like the idea though, Callie and Arizona need to have an equal partnership, even if Arizona is totally stronger!

**2damnpretty2die** is still my awesome beta and I love her to bits! Captain is still feeling unwell though =[ hope you get better soon!

* * *

Chapter 20: Elizabeth Lewis

Tim p.o.v

"What ever happened to my dear Graham?" Hades' voice was like silk, penetrating my thoughts as I stood in the garden, marvelling the sights of Boston.

"My lord?" was my shocked reply; I hadn't noticed another presence in the garden, let alone directly behind me.

"Graham, I believe Erica told me that he was taken by those two dogs that lie beside Athena. The daughters of Mnemosyne, what were their names again?"

"Clio and Thalia, my Lord." I bristled at the mention of Thalia, and my heart constricted at the thought of having to fight against her.

"Ah yes, them. They took Graham yes?"

"Yes my Lord."

"What became of his fate? My men tell me that they couldn't find him in the remains of the mansion in Miami."

"I-I don't know, my Lord." I winced, prepared for Hades' punishment at my ignorance.

"What a shame, Erica was rather fond of that man." Hades' tone was light and unchanging, almost as if he had no care for his man's fate.

"S-sir?" I was utterly confused, Erica _cared_ for Graham? Really? But she was always so cold and ruthless to him. She constantly punished him for every minor mistake he made, and if that was how she portrayed her love, I would hate to know how she showed her hatred.

"Artemis killed him!" The voice shocked me, and I turned prepared to attack, however, seeing Erica standing at the doorway leading into the house, I relaxed again. _Seriously, do these people not make a sound when they walk? Do they not breathe? Why is it that I can never detect their aura?_

"Oh?" Hades sounded interested, "how do you know that my dear? My men reported no signs of him anywhere."

"Because," she spat, "the scent of his blood was all over her!"

I knew that the blood was from when Arizona had tortured him, but I never thought that Erica would be able to sense that.

"Is that true Apollo?" Hades' tone was condescending, as if he suspected I knew more than I was letting on.

"I-I-Yes, my Lord, Ari… Artemis had been torturing Graham for information, and as far as I know, Graham was loyal and refused to leak any information." I shivered at the intense stare I was getting from Hades and glanced quickly over to Erica who was stewing in her own anger.

"And then?"

"I don't know, he was taken away by Clio and Thalia. I don't know what happened after, but I do know that he was constantly guarded."

I was caught off guard and knocked to the floor by an infuriated Erica, who loomed over me with bright yellow eyes, fangs snarling in my face, and I braced myself for her attack. But if never came. Opening my previously closed eyes, I saw a deeply amused Hades holding onto her shoulder, pulling her away from me. She shrugged him off and stormed back into the house, killing one of the maids who happened to cross her path. I winced at her nonchalant show of violence and Hades chuckled lightly.

"M-my Lord? I thought Styx hated Graham?" I hated that this man made me stutter like a little child, I absolutely hated it.

"Perhaps, but he had been around for a very long time. Ever since she was a baby in fact, he was responsible for caring for her and catering to her every need. I guess that she needed to assert her authority by constantly punishing him whenever possible, but she actually looked up to him as an older brother of sorts. He showed her how to make her very first kill, and she was so very proud of that. And after losing Trevor, Graham was the only 'sibling' she had left. I'm not surprised that she's so angry over his death." Hades actually sounded upset, and I was slowly getting more and more baffled. "Never fear, the anger makes her oh so wonderful, don't you agree?" His tone suddenly changed into a jovial and happy one and I could only stare at him wide eyed.

"…My Lord?"

"It makes her kill more ruthlessly, faster, messier, as if she's trying to take out her anger on her prey. It makes for such wonderful entertainment don't you think?" He became more and more gleeful at the thought and I shivered at the sadistic display of happiness. "Besides, it means I have more soldiers at my command."

"Y-yes my Lord, of course." I bowed my head, no longer wanting to see his wide smile and bright eyes at the thought of slaughtering innocent humans for entertainment.

He sobered moments after, "Come now, Apollo, we must prepare."

"Prepare?" His abrupt change in moods and thoughts had me reeling. I swear if I didn't know him as a sadistic, vicious, demonic vampire, I would swear that he had ADHD.

"Oh yes, the Princess is coming soon. I can feel it in my bones." He teased me, giving a slight shiver to exaggerate his speech, "she coming."

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

We arrived in Boston shortly after Calliope and I had defeated Artemis, thanks to Calliope and Terri's access to private jets. I had never questioned as to how Terri had access to one, it made sense for Calliope to have one, seeing as her father was a businessman and a multi-millionaire, but Terri was a puzzle. I guess a part of me never really wanted to know, I was worried that the answer would be something horrifying, and besides, it always made life easier when Zeus would send us all over the world on missions.

Stepping onto the grounds of the mansion I grew up in, it actually felt like coming home. As the cars that we were in pulled through the large gates, the wide doors of the main house burst open as people came running out, all dressed in formal black trousers, crisp white shirts, golden ties that all bore the symbol of Zeus on, and high collared black jackets with golden silk lining the ends of the sleeves, around the collars and on the insides of the jackets. They were formed into two rows, with approximately ten men on each side, and when we stepped out of the cars, they all dropped to one knee and bowed deeply, heads almost touching the floors, with their right hands placed over their hearts, where it was embroidered with the symbol of Zeus.

"Welcome home Lord Athena, Lord Artemis." They barked out in unison. I felt the eyes of our friends on Terri and I, and could feel the confusion and wonder emanating from them. Terri simply nodded and I smiled lightly at them. _I'm home._

From the open doors, two people emerged, one male and one female, both dressed in long white robes, a simple golden belt was around their waists with swords with golden handles and pure white scabbards hanging from them. They hurried down the centre of the bowed men towards us and bowed their heads in respect.

"Princess Athena, Princess Artemis, we've been awaiting your return." The male spoke.

"Elder Green, Elder Johnson, it's been a while." Terri replied warmly. They raised their heads and when their eyes landed on the forgotten group behind us, they gasped.

"E-Elder Webber, High Advisor Mnemosyne, it's been a long time." They slowly moved their gaze to the rest of the group and approached them swiftly. "Lady Ariadne, Lady Calliope, it's an honor to finally meet you." They once again bowed their heads and I could see Calliope and Aria's look of confusion.

Chuckling lightly to myself, I decided to aid in their helplessness. "Aria, you're the Crown's Bride, and Calliope, you're my mate, your statuses are slightly different here." I giggled seeing that their wide-eyed, deer in headlights, look was deepening.

"Let me introduce, this is Elder Lincoln Green," Terri said, pointing to the male, "and Elder Katherine Johnson, they're part of the court and have been handling any issues that arise in Boston. They're also caring for the mansion here too, as you can see." She gestured to the lands around us covered with grass, flowers and trees that were all blooming healthily and standing strong against the light breeze blowing across.

"So, you said that Hades has returned?" She jumped straight into the main topic, wanting to settle this as much as anyone else; and I straightened up at the mention of his name.

"Yes, my Lord. It was perhaps 3 to 4 days ago, when we felt the aura of Hades, along with Styx and…" Elder Green hesitated, glancing at me briefly before returning his attention to Terri, "Apollo."

I felt my entire body stiffen. _Tim's here? He returned with Hades and Erica, why Tim?_

I could feel a warm presence expanding from within and glanced up to see Calliope looking at me with worry in her golden eyes. _Calliope…_

"_Are you okay?"_ I could hear her voice in my head and I smiled

"_I'm fine, I just can't believe Tim's here, with Hades as well."_

"_I'm here for you Ari. If you need anything, anything at all, just come to me. _Talk_ to me." _She insisted, and I inwardly chuckled.

"_I know Calliope, I promised, remember? No more running, no more hiding."_ She smiled lovingly at me and nodded, and we both returned our attention to Terri and the Elders.

"Hades has been gathering his strength, and we fear that if we do not attack now, we may not have another chance." Elder Johnson stated.

"I see…" Terri contemplated her options.

"We can't afford to lose any more humans to him and our men are already prepared to fight, my Lord." Elder Green insisted and Terri sighed, knowing that there was only one option to take.

"Very well, allow us to settle in first, and then gather the Generals. We shall meet tonight at 7, and tomorrow night, we shall be celebrating Poseidon and Aphrodite's return." She commanded, and the two Elders ran off to prepare.

"Thalia, Clio, meet with the Generals and relay to them what happened in Miami." They nodded and disappeared from sight immediately.

"Richard, Lucia, perhaps you could see what the other Elders already know?" They smiled and walked into the mansion, following the footsteps of the two Elders before them.

"Peters, Matthews!" She barked, and two men from the front of the still bowed group stood to attention straight away. "Lead my friends to their rooms for the night." She ordered, and then turned to face us. "My aura will flare up tonight; just follow it to the meeting room. Until then, enjoy the sights and rest up, because tomorrow, we enter hell." She glanced at Aria, and then me before walking into the mansion with Aria trailing behind.

Peters and Matthews watched us anxiously, waiting for our next move. I smiled at them gently before addressing the group. "T's right, you guys should get some sleep or something. It's been a hectic few days and it's going to get even messier tomorrow. There's blood in the fridges of each room, and if you need anything else there are always soldiers lining every hallway, so don't be afraid to ask them for anything, anytime okay?" They nodded and followed the two soldiers into the mansion leaving Calliope and myself standing in the driveway.

I held my hand out to her, and when I felt her soft hand in mine, I led her down the side of the mansion.

"Where are we going Ari?" her voice was soft and questioning.

"You'll see" I replied cryptically, and heard her huff at my less than helpful answer.

* * *

Callie's p.o.v

After walking for about ten minutes through the forest that surrounded the land, I decided to break the silence.

"Ari, where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere special." Her answer was just as cryptic and it frustrated me slightly. I was in a city I had never visited, in a huge land that was mainly surrounded by trees that were so tall, the sunlight barely made it through and I had absolutely no idea how far away from the house we were know. In short, I was completely lost.

"Ari…" I warned, but was pulled to an abrupt halt.

"We're here!" Arizona exclaimed happily. I looked around to see where 'here' was, and saw a small clearing with a huge fallen tree. Other than that, there was nothing special about the area; it was woody and dark, just like the rest of the area.

"And what exactly is 'here'?" I arched a brow at her expectantly. She was inspecting the area with so much happiness and joy that I could feel it invading my senses.

"This is where I was born again." She explained with a childlike expression.

"Born again?"

"Yup, it's where Terri found me, and where your mother had dropped me off after I was bitten." I noticed that there was no more malice or resentment in her voice when she spoke of my mother and her turning, and it warmed my heart knowing that she had finally let go of the hatred.

"So this is where it all started huh?" I asked her softly, taking in the scenery more seriously.

"Yup." She walked over to the fallen tree and sat down, leaning against it. "This is the exact spot I was found." She patted the floor beside her and I sat down. "And this is how Terri said she found me." She closed her eyes and dropped her head backwards immediately, rolling it slightly to the right towards me and stuck her tongue out to the side playfully. I giggled at her childish antics and laid my head on her shoulder, feeling her arm around my waist instantly.

"This is where it all began for Terri and you…" It wasn't a question so much as a statement. I knew what happened next, I had seen it. Terri had showed me everything and I still remember the confusion, the fear, the helplessness and the loneliness she felt when she woke up in an unfamiliar environment.

"I felt like I needed to go back where we had started before we reached the end." Her voice was filled with nostalgia and I felt my heart clench.

"Ari…"

"I know, I'm being pessimistic right?" she cut me off before I could say anything more. "But, it's just… I don't know what tomorrow will bring; all I know is that I'm afraid. I trust in Terri 100 per cent, and I believe that she is a great leader, but I can't help this anxiousness that's building in my heart. A sense of foreboding, it's like I _know_ that something bad is going to happen. I feel like I'm going to lose something and I don't know what. I wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to you or any of our friends, even Tim. Even though he's betrayed us, if anything happened to Tim, it would kill me." There were tears in her eyes and I felt my own falling down my cheeks at her moment of vulnerability.

"Nothing's going to happen Ari." I managed out from the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat.

"You don't know that Calliope." Her voice was stern, but I could hear the underlying dismay.

"So maybe it is. _If_ this really is our last night, do you really want to spend it in fear and so distraught over what_ may_ come?"

She was silent, and so very still as she contemplated my words. She shook her head suddenly and stared at me with bright purple eyes. "No, this is not how I want to spend my last day with you. I want to spend it feeling loved and complete."

And with that she crashed her lips onto mine and pushed me onto the surprisingly soft ground beneath us.

_I love you… You complete me._

* * *

Aria p.o.v

I followed her apprehensively as she stormed through the hallways. There was an aura of distress surrounding her and I wanted to soothe away the thoughts.

"Terri…" I started hesitantly, but my words seemed to go unheard. I jogged forward to catch up with her hurried strides and grabbed onto her arm, turning her around to face me. "Baby, look at me." When she finally made eye contact, I could see the furrowed eyebrows and the mixed emotions swirling in her eyes. "What's going on in that head of yours?" I asked softly.

She let out a deep sigh and relaxed her body. "I'm worried about what tomorrow will bring."

"I know you are, but there's something else isn't there?" She didn't reply, so I placed a hand on her chest. "I can feel it, there's something hiding away in there. What's the matter?"

She looked away avoiding eye contact, and when she spoke her voice was so low and soft, I barely caught what she said. "Would you stand by me?"

"What?"

She took a deep breath and spoke louder. "No matter what happens tomorrow, whatever secrets or truths that are revealed tomorrow, would you still stand by me?"

I was confused by her cryptic question, but I knew without a doubt that I would always stand by her side. "Yes."

The silence was deafening, and for the first time, she initiated intimacy with me without being asked or expected as she pulled me into a fierce embrace. "Thank you." She murmured into my ear before pulling back just as unexpected. "But I fear after tomorrow, you won't feel the same. You won't even be able to look at me anymore." She started to walk away from me again, but not before I caught the pain in her eyes.

I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist as my front collided with her back. "I don't care what happens, my feelings for you will never change." Her back was stiff and her breathing was shallow, and it broke my heart to see her so insecure, so distraught and so… so lost. I didn't know how to help her and that hurt me more than I could ever say, and I prayed that my unwavering determination could soothe her fears, whatever they were.

Her hands gripped mine tightly and I could feel her shaking in my arms. "Do you trust me, Ariadne?" It was strained and I could hear the tears in her voice.

"Implicitly" I answered, with no hesitation whatsoever.

"And would you do whatever I asked of you without question?"

"Yes."

She turned around in my arms and grabbed onto my head, leaning her forehead against mine, eyes closed. "Then there is something I need you to do."

I closed my eyes, breathing in her scent. "Whatever your command, I will fulfil."

Silence surrounded us as her command echoed through my head. I gasped at her request, "Terri…" and when my eyes shot open, I was met with fierce brown ones, shining with determination. "Y-you want me to…?" the determination was unwavering, but I could see the underlying fear and apprehension. My arms tightened around her waist and I nodded, feeling the tears building.

Her thumb trailed under my eyes, catching the tears before they could fall and she pulled me in to a soft kiss.

"_Thank you"_

* * *

General p.o.v

The conference room was abuzz with excitement and fear all at the same time. The Elders and the Generals were all stood talking over each other, trying to get Terri, who was sat at the head of the table with her head in her hands, to take their side. Arizona was sat to her right, as per usual, and looked around frantically from person to person with complete confusion and bafflement on her face. She was just as lost as everyone else was. Callie, Aria and the rest of their team sat of the other side of the table, completely bewildered by the events happening before their eyes, whilst Lucia, who was to the left of Terri, and Richard, who was to the right of Arizona, sat in silence.

"Enough!" Terri's booming voice silenced everyone. "All I'm hearing so far is that you, General Howard." She pointed to an older vampire beside Richard, "are expecting to me send in a hundred men to 'distract' Hades' attention whilst my friends and I sneak in behind to rescue Poseidon and Aphrodite. Whereas you, General Reynard," she pointed to a muscular African vampire, "expect me to lead my men in a full frontal, head on charge because Hades 'would not be expecting me to be in the lead'. And you, General Chase," she pointed to a Caucasian female, standing beside General Reynard, "expect my friends and I to charge at the frontline, leaving the rescuing up to the soldiers, again because it will not be what Hades is 'expecting'. Whilst you, General Espinosa," she pointed to a Latina woman standing beside General Howard, "expect me to go in _by myself_ to 'try' and 'lure out' Hades _and_ Styx into a trap?" She leaned back in her seat, rubbing her temples gently. "You are all doing _nothing_ but causing me a great headache. What plans do you _really_ have? Ones that do _not_ include me sending in my friends and my men to their imminent death immediately? Or perhaps ones that don't include me flying in solo, because I _really_ can't take on everyone _plus_ Hades _and_ Styx" Nobody dared to answer, no one even moved.

She sighed deeply, troubled by the turn of events. "Has _anybody_ actually looked into Hades' fort? Sent in espionages? Do you know how many men he has? How many of them are purely strays and how many are marked? Where Poseidon and Aphrodite are being held?" There were no replies; there were barely sounds of breathing. "_Anything?_ What _do_ you know then, other than the fact that he's here?" More silence reigned and Terri let out a sigh of frustration. "What the hell _have_ you been doing then, I mean other than pissing matches? Have you all just been waiting for me to arrive and take hold?" The Generals and Elders all avoided eye contact with the now enraged Princess, and Callie and her friends actually felt a bit sorry for them.

Terri slammed her fist onto the metal table so hard it reverberated down to the other side, the suddenness and loudness of the noise shocking everyone at the table. "How the fuck did you all survive all those years ago?" She growled out.

There was chuckling by the door as a gentle voice echoed through the silence. "That's because they all relied too much on Cronus, and then Zeus to take the lead. They're nothing but wild animals trying to prove their mightiness in front of the young leader. They just want the recognition for winning this battle, and they think that you do not know any better or know of their tactics, Athena."

The Generals and Elders all turned in anger and outrage, but deflated immediately when then saw who had spoken. A tall, slim woman with pale skin, hazel eyes and long blonde hair was leaning against the doorframe. She too wore a long white robe with a golden belt and a sword hanging by her waist, like all the elders, but she also possessed an amulet that hung around her neck and dangled down in front of her chest; it was filled deep red energy and swirled with gold every now and again. Her eyes were lit with amusement and her lips curled into a smirk, they noticed that despite her relaxed stance, she had a powerful aura surrounding her.

"Elizabeth." Terri's relieved voice cut through any further inspections from the woman. "Where the hell have _you_ been?"

Elizabeth glided into the room with a warm smile and bowed mockingly at her. "Oh the great and mighty Athena has summoned me and I have arrived, but it does take time to return from where I was, my dear. You can't just expect me to appear out of thin air." She teased lightly and from the other side of the table, her friends looked on in wonder at the relaxed attitude of the woman in the presence of the interim Queen. Aria looked between Terri and Elizabeth and felt unexpected jealously surge through her as Terri watched her with soft eyes and Elizabeth studied the young vampire with gentle and loving eyes.

Elizabeth took her place to the left of Terri as Lucia moved over, practically forcing General Reynard to move down a seat. She bowed her head quickly at Arizona and Richard and turned to the other side of the table. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth Lewis and I'm the Elder known as Zeus' left hand."

They gasped as the woman's identity was revealed and Aria let out a breath of relief.

"You're more than _just_ his left hand" came a murmured insult from General Howard, who was still seething from her insult.

"Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow and glanced in his direction. "What was that General Howard?" Her aura flared slightly, increasing the pressure of the room, and he responded in kind.

"You heard what I said. At least _I've_ earned my position, I didn't _sleep_ my way into power." There were gasps all around at his accusation, and their auras kept increasing as they stared at each other intensely.

Mark and Addison started to tense as the pressure reached suffocating levels, they took a quick glance at Bailey, Alex, Lexie, Teddy, Callie and Aria to see that they seemed unaffected, and briefly wondered if it was because of their constant exposure to the two Royals. They glanced at each other, worried that the Elder and the General would break out into a brawl the night before they confronted Hades.

"_Hey Addie?"_

"_What Mark?"_

"_Should we, you know, say something? I mean it's not going to help if we break out into a civil war before the actual war starts."_

"_I know what you mean, but their auras are so powerful. And I'm more worried about being killed before we finish our sentences."_

"_Jesus, these guys are strong aren't they?"_

"_What did you expect Mark? They're the Elders and Generals that have been supporting the Kings for hundreds of years. I'm pretty sure we're the weakest ones here and that really sucks."_

"_I know, but the way the pressure keeps increasing, I think we might actually suffocate. Why aren't Terri or Arizona doing anything?"_

"_I have no clue Mark, I really don't"_

Their conversation was disrupted as they felt eyes on them, looking up, they saw Thalia and Clio watching them with amusement from their position behind Terri; they had obviously heard their conversation and Clio was actually trying to hide her grin.

* * *

"Stand down General." Terri commanded, but the General was too clouded by anger and jealousy as his eyes shone blue and his fangs emerged, body tensing ready to attack. He suddenly dropped to the floor, convulsing in pain, as Terri stood from her seat, eyes shining red. "I do _not_ want to repeat myself General. Any further insolence from you and I will see to it that you be stripped of your rank and all titles, _General._" Her eyes flickered dangerously before returning to brown as she sat back down.

The General made his way shakily to his feet, breathing laboured as he stared at her. "Y-you can't do that. You don't have the authority!" he panted, outrage all over his face.

"Try me." She fixated her eyes on him, calm and cold, and he felt himself shiver at the deadliness in her gaze. "Now can we continue with the meeting or are there other _issues_ that need to be addressed?" the room was silent, and Elizabeth took the floor.

"Hades has gathered a large amount of mindless strays to hold the frontline, and I believe that he's using them as… entertainment."

"What do you mean Elder Lewis?" asked Elder Green

"He wants to toy with us, and he doesn't see the strays as anything more than disposable and replaceable playthings. So he's using it to test our strength and our kills as he joyfully watches from his 'throne'. We already know that he's a sadistic psychopath, so it wouldn't surprise me that he's planned for a bloody war tomorrow."

"And how do you know of this, Elder?" asked General Reynard gruffly.

"Because I watched him, and I've been doing so since Zeus disappeared."

The silence was overwhelming as her revelation shocked the Elders and Generals speechless.

"S-since the King's disappearance?"

"Yes, Zeus tasked me with following Hades' movements as he had tasked Richard with watching Athena's."

"So you know where Poseidon and Aphrodite are being held?" Terri asked.

"I do. They are in the dungeons at his manor, two floors below the ground."

"And how are they?"

Elizabeth glanced at Arizona briefly, watching her reactions. "Not good. They have been chained against the walls using spells to restrict their powers. They have not been cared for and their injuries from the battle 20 years ago are still ailing them."

Arizona clenched her fists, and growled. "They are alive though?"

"Very much, Artemis. Hades' has not tortured them… too much since their capture. He mainly taunts them over his success and their defeat, and he has recently brought Apollo in to see them, again to taunt them of his betrayal."

"What is your plan then, Elizabeth?"

"My plan is simple. We know that the strays guarding the front are harmless, so General Howard's plan of sending in the men is viable. We will need a leader for that, so I'm sure General Howard will not mind leading the men in his attack?" The man nodded gruffly, slumping in his chair. "Very good, now our main strength is Athena, Artemis and your friends, am I right?" Arizona nodded and glanced towards the other side. "Now I'm aware of your mate, Artemis, and the Bride of the Crown is here as well, are they going to be participating in the battle?" She glanced at Callie and Aria, and when they nodded, she waited to see if Terri or Arizona would protest. When she received none, she smiled and continued. "Marvellous, now, Artemis, Calliope, Theodora and Alexander will lead to attack for the left wing. Styx is most likely going to be guarding that side, so whilst Theodora and Alexander take care of any disruptions, Artemis and Calliope will be going after Styx."

"It would be better to replace Alex with Addison, Teddy and her have been partners for a while and they work well together." Terri interrupted.

"Perhaps, but wouldn't Alexander prefer to stay with his master?" she asked, looking at Alex.

"I would, but for the sake of the battle, I go where I'm needed, and I work well with Sloan anyway." Alex replied gruffly.

"Very well, in that case, Alexander and Marcus will follow me as I lead the attack on the right wing. I believe that is where Apollo will be found." Arizona wanted to protest, on the one hand, she wanted to be the one to confront her brother, but on the other, she had personal issues with Erica that she would rather handle.

"I know of your conflict Artemis, but I will be the one to confront Apollo, trust me." Elizabeth had a knowing gaze and Arizona reluctantly relented.

"Moving on, Athena, Ariadne and Alexandra will head for the main room where Hades will be found, and the other Generals will lead-"

"No," Terri cut in. "I will confront Hades alone. Aria and Lexie will go to Poseidon."

* * *

Callie p.o.v

I was shocked by Terri's suggestion, and looking at Aria, I was even more alarmed at the fact that she had no protests and had accepted the decision.

"I trust you to protect her, Lexie?" Lexie nodded, eyes shining with determination, and it made me regard her with newfound respect.

"But-" Elizabeth started, but was cut off again.

"There is something I must confirm, but I need to do it alone. Allow me this one selfish act won't you?" Terri's voice was solemn and she had a desperate look in her eyes. I saw Elizabeth stutter in her movements, and I'd assume that she too had never seen Terri like this.

"Of course, my Lord."

"There is one more thing I wish for you do to."

"About what?"

"Tim." I inhaled sharply at his name; "I want you to lure him out to the front gates."

"You wish to capture him alive?" I was horrified to learn that she had planned to kill Tim, and looking at Arizona, I saw that she had the same thoughts.

"I do." She narrowed her eyes at Terri, glancing between her and Arizona, before her eyes hardened.

"There is no place for sympathy and pity, my Lord. Betrayal _must_ be punished, we cannot accept such insolence to the Royal Family, what example would we be setting? Family plays no role in war, otherwise we would not be in this place with Hades now. You cannot allow anything that would bring harm to our people to live."

Terri stiffened at her accusations and anger flashed through her eyes. "Tim is no Hades, and you _dare_ question my loyalty to my family, my clan?"

"It is not your loyalty I question, but your motivation. I question your ability to separate between your best friend and your enemy, your ability to differentiate between real emotions and false sense of security, and your ability to strike down those close to you. Can you really destroy the one man that has been with you since you were young, one who has lured you into a false sense of love and familiarity and then betrayed you by almost killing you?"

"I can and I will, but I will do so under my own terms. Is that understood, Elder Lewis?"

The tension was palpable and I was now worried about a fight breaking out between Terri and Elizabeth. What was it about this woman that seemed to aggravate everyone? First, it was her and General Howard, and now it was Terri and her, who would be next?

They stared at each other for moments before she relented. "Your wish is my command, my _Queen."_ The patronising tone was obvious and I felt my anger build at her blatant disrespect of Terri, but it wasn't my place to do anything.

"Then we are settled? Arizona will head for Styx, you for Apollo, Aria for Poseidon, myself for Hades and the Generals will be responsible for the first wave and then reinforcement?" There were nods all around, "good, Richard, Bailey, if you could stay back for medical aid, and Mnemosyne, if you could gather with our other Seers and guide us?" My mother and Elder Johnson nodded, revealing that Katherine Johnson was a Seer.

"Then eat well and rest up, for tomorrow at dawn, we march for Hades' manor."

She dismissed us all and I saw Terri heading for Lexie. I heard Terri whisper to Lexie. "Whatever happens tomorrow, follow Aria's lead okay?" but I never got to see her reaction or hear any more of the conversation as Arizona came to my side and led me out the door.

_What did she mean by 'follow Aria's lead'?_

* * *

A.N: hmmmmmm, now what _did_ Terri say to Aria?


	21. Chapter 21: Abandonment

A.N: So… Like I was saying to the Captain, I got a bit excited over this chapter and the fact that I had time to write, and then proceeded to word explode over the place! So ya'll get the next chapter a day after the previous one, _and_ it's a long one! =] Aren't I nice? I'm making the Captain work double time, I've already got the next chapter done and am working on chapter 23 now, but ya'll don't get to see it until later. I still gotta fix up the events time line and the little action scenes. There's going to be a lot of conversations in the next few chapters so look out for that!

I swear I've put in more effort for this story than I did for my research paper when I was in Uni =P

Beta'd by the wonderful **2damnpretty2die**, thanks for tweaking out my mistakes!

* * *

Chapter 21: Abandonment

Arizona p.o.v

The next morning, we had all gathered in the main room and the room was ablaze with excitement. I looked around trying to spot Teddy and Alex, I needed to speak to them before we entered Hades' fort. Finally I saw them both standing in the corner with Addison and Mark.

"Teddy, Alex" They looked up and bowed their heads slightly. "Don't do that, not right now. I'm not talking to you as Artemis the master, but as Arizona the friend." They nodded in understanding and relaxed their stance.

"What's up Ari?" Teddy asked.

"I just needed to talk to you guys before the fight. I wanted to uh, thank you guys." They looked at me in confusion and I hurried to finish my thoughts, "for everything you've done for me. For trusting me when you found out I was a vampire, for helping me with securing blood packs. Keeping my secret safe and for not hating me when you were sired. Just… thank you."

Alex, Addison and Mark looked on in amazement and Teddy smiled at me softly, "technically, you weren't the one to sire me you know?" she said slyly.

"Shut up! You know what I mean." I laughed.

"I do, and you're welcome. You're my best friend and I would do all of it all over again if required to."

"Same here boss. You took me in when no one else would have me and you actually taught me how to be a doctor, how to be a better person and how to be a fighter. Without you, I'd still be wandering around lost and alone, you gave me a family boss, so _thank you._" Alex added.

I grinned brightly and pulled them both in for a hug, holding on tightly, as if this was the last I would ever see of them, whilst Mark and Addison looked on warmly.

"So where's Callie?" Addison asked after I pulled back.

"She's over with Lucia and Aria, said she wanted to spend some time with them."

Any further thoughts were cut off as the main doors burst open and Terri walked in, with Richard and Elizabeth trailing behind.

"Are we all here?" Her tone was commanding, stepping into the role of leader easily. "Good, then may the power of Zeus guide you all." She raised her right hand to her chest and closed her eyes, and in a loud and powerful voice, she roared, "_Fide et fortitude!_" There were loud chants around the room as everyone repeated her actions.

"Fide et fortitude!" I shouted, _Loyalty and bravery that was all we needed._

* * *

Terri p.o.v

I watched on as the first wave of attack, led by General Howard in the frontlines, tore through the strays as if they were nothing, and silently recited a prayer for their souls. The strays were innocent beings, caught in the path of Hades' madness, and I prayed they could finally find peace.

The signal went off and my friends and I leapt into action, all heading off towards our designated targets. I shot Lucia a look, and allowed my voice to penetrate her mind. _"Guide them and keep them safe Mnemosyne."_ She nodded at me, eyes full of emotion at the sight of her two daughters heading into battle.

I felt Aria appear beside me and allowed her presence to fill my mind, _"Be careful Aria, and get out as quick as possible."_

"_I will, you too Terri."_ A quick nod and we all separated. Arizona headed for the left wing, Elizabeth for the right wing, Aria towards the lower dungeons and myself for Hades. As Arizona disappeared from sight only one thought drifted across my mind, _forgive me Arizona. _I refocused my attention as I reached the doors of the main room, also known as, the 'throne' room. I could feel the aura from behind the doors, so dark and deadly, and I took a deep breath before opening the doors.

"Hades"

"Athena"

* * *

Mark p.o.v

We headed straight for the right wing, Elizabeth leading in front, Alex flanking her right and myself the left, and behind us we had around ten golden armoured 'agents' as they were called. The agents were far more powerful than the regular soldiers, only barely ranking behind the Generals themselves.

We burst through the door and saw Tim, surrounded by twenty strays; all ready to attack the moment we entered. First blood was spilled as an agent pushed forward and took out a stray, subsequently starting off our match. The rest of the agents burst into action and swords were drawn as our two forces clashed.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Elizabeth head straight for Tim, both their auras flaring up to blinding levels as Alex and I were confronted by four marked strays. My eyes turned green as my own flared up, feeling Alex do the same and we clashed with the four men in front of us.

_For the sake of Arizona, you better not die Tim._

* * *

Teddy p.o.v

As we headed towards the left wing, I could feel Addie's worried glance on me.

"_What is it Addie?"_

"_Be careful okay?"_

"_Of course I will."_

"_No I mean it, no heroics! No more jumping in front of attacks for me, you need to focus on the enemy."_

"_I know Addie, you too."_

"_I love you Teddy."_

I faltered slightly in my step, shocked at the sudden confession, glancing slightly at her to see a red hue blooming on her face, and a grin started to spread across mine.

"_I love you too Addie. And don't think that gets you out of saying it to my face. I'm still waiting for you to say those words out loud!"_ I could hear her giggling echo through my head, and turned to face forward once again, only to see Arizona's eyes on us.

"Stay focused!" she barked, but I could see the happiness in her eyes.

We never made it to the door, as it exploded out towards us, making us halt and leap backwards to avoid the debris. Strays flooded out through the door and the agents behind us charged ahead of us to meet them. The sounds of swords clashing surrounded the hallway and we flickered passed the battle and into the room where Erica was waiting with a smirk on her face, blade of Cronus in hand and four mark strays surrounding her.

"Hey there pretty girl" Erica taunted, and the anger that I had felt building in Arizona erupted as her aura exploded around her. Gold surrounding purple as Callie's own aura started building. "Always so quick to anger _Princess._"

Arizona growled as she launched at her, her own blade of Cronus drawn from her hip and clashing with Erica's. We had no time to react as the four strays were on us and we were forced into a defensive position. In the corner of my eye, I saw a stray headed towards Callie, but before I could move, her golden eyes had set upon the enemy, left hand raised as a barrier was formed and right hand thrust forward as a blade materialized into her hand and took off the enemy's let arm. I stared in awe at her speed and was shocked as I recognised the blade in her hand, the silver blade, golden handle and the gold and purple jewel on the hilt, _Artemis' blade._

The pressure suddenly increased tenfold as Erica injected herself with the serum, there was blinding light, as when the light faded, Erica stood tall yellow aura turning dark purple, fangs elongated, black wings protruded on her back, eyes completely black, purple streaks running through lengthened blonde hair, and a dark purple symbol of Hades, Pluto, stood on her forehead.

_This is just like what Terri did last time. Jesus Christ, it's so powerful and… dark. Is this the power of the royal bloodline?_

She laughed maniacally at us and Arizona growled deeply, sharing a glance with Callie briefly, before closing her eyes and relaxing her posture.

_What is she doing? Don't take your eyes off the enemy Ari!_

I hurried to make my way over to her, but hesitated as her aura began to flicker and change in color and intensity. The purple started to fade to navy that surrounded her entire body, growing until she was completely hidden by the intense pulsing aura. There was a sudden explosion of light and I felt my breath being taken away at the sight before me. Arizona stood with white wings proudly displayed on her back, lengthened blonde hair with blue streaks, on her forehead was a navy Neptune symbol and when she opened her eyes, they were bright and golden. _The true form of a royal huh? _I glanced over to Addie who was equally amazed at the sight, and then to Erica who was stunned at the transformation.

"W-when did you achieve the form? Apollo never mentioned anything like that!" Erica spat out.

"He can't tell you what he doesn't know" was the calm reply, and they clashed once again, sending a powerful wave of energy that knocked us all back.

I looked towards Callie to see her golden eyes getting brighter and brighter as blue sparks started appearing, she fought valiantly against her enemy and when he was struck down, the calm and serenity reflected in her eyes took me off guard.

_What the hell happened to those two?_

* * *

Aria p.o.v

I could feel auras flaring up from different parts of the manor as Lexie and I crept towards the dungeon with agents flanking our rear. _That was Alex and Mark, and then Tim. Oh, and there's Teddy and Addie's, and is that… Arizona and Callie? Jesus, that's strong. But where's Terri's? Is she not fighting? What's happening?_

"We're almost there." Lexie's voice brought me out of my musings and I refocused my attention on the path ahead of us. We reached the end of the corridor where there were two paths.

"Lexie, you go left, I'll take the right."

"What? No! I'm supposed to protect you!" She protested

"I've got 5 agents who have my back, I'll be fine, and it's only for a while." She still looked hesitant, "remember, Terri told you to follow my lead." She deflated instantly and nodded, as she headed towards the left with five agents trailing behind her, she turned back to me.

"Be careful Aria, Terri would have my head if anything happened to you."

I smiled at her gently, warmed by her concern. "You too Lex, Terri would be so pissed off if anything happened to _you._" We shared a smile and split up, when she took the first turning, disappearing out of sight my smile dropped. I turned my head to the hallway in front of me, feeling Poseidon and Aphrodite's presence ahead of me and sighed.

"_There is something I need you to do"_

I could still remember the sorrow in Terri's voice as she asked me, and I was resolved to fulfil her request.

"_Whatever your command, I will fulfil"_

It was a promise I would keep.

Running ahead, and taking out any strays along the way, we found ourselves in a hallway with several doors. I could feel the familiar aura pulsing from behind the door at the end and steered the agents away from it.

"You guys take a door each, it doesn't look like anyone's down here anymore, I'll take the one at the end. Shout if you find anything." There were nods all around, as they split up into different doors.

I gathered thoughts and prepared myself for what laid waiting behind the door, but even then, I was still horrified by the sight. The idea that these two were once the proud and undefeatable Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite was laughable, as they lay weak and helpless, chained against the wall.

"Poseidon…" I whispered weakly, his head snapped up instantly and I recoiled slightly at his reflexes. "My name is Ariadne Torres, and I've been sent here by the Crown."

"You're the Bride of the Crown." His voice was deep and husky, but still so weak.

"I am, yes."

"She was the one who gave us this?" Aphrodite asked, as she held up a pouch that was now covered with dried blood.

"Yes, have you seen what's inside?" they nodded; "so you know of the plan?" they nodded again. "Good, I've also been asked to give you this." I pulled out two test tubes filled with blood, "she said to wait for the signal before using it."

Tears filled Aphrodite's eyes and Poseidon stared at me emotionlessly.

"Are they safe?" was the tearful voice

"They are, Arizona has recently unlocked her true form along with Callie-"

"She's found Callie?"

"She has, Callie is my sister, and we're both where we belong now. Terri has been leading them well."

"Terri will destroy Arizona, this plan will destroy her." Poseidon's voice cut through, having remained silent for a while now.

I jumped slightly at his voice, "perhaps, but it is for the best. I trust in Terri and perhaps you should too." My voice was firm and slightly scolding, but I couldn't take the doubt aimed at Terri.

"You love her" it was a statement rather than a question.

"It's none of your business, sir. I've come to do what I've been asked, have some faith in the Crown. She's been leading the Kingdom for the last 12 years since Zeus has gone missing, she knows what she's doing." I turned to leave the room, but his deep voice filled with remorse and hope reached my ears.

"Fide et fortitude" I turned back to them with a smile on my face and raised my hand to my chest.

"Fide et fortitude." I left the room swiftly with the hopeful looks on their faces engraved into my memory, and closed the door.

"Did you find anything ma'am?" came a voice to my right.

"No. Did you?" I received a negative response, "we should meet up with Lexie, perhaps she's had more luck." We headed back down the hallway, and I glanced back at the closed door.

"_But I fear after tomorrow, you won't feel the same. You won't even be able to look at me anymore."_

I forced my tears away, and charged on ahead.

_I really hope you _do_ know what you're doing Terri._

* * *

Terri p.o.v

"Hades" I stated calmly

"Athena" was the joyful reply, "Oh I've been waiting for you, it's been so long my dear niece, and I've missed you so, _Teresa_!"

"Cut the crap _Jacob._" I spat

"Oh, the anger, it's so wonderful!" he shivered in delight, "and so brave coming in here alone, without backup. Aren't you afraid of the big, bad, mean Hades?" he ended with a child-like voice and I felt my hackles rise at the voice.

"There's something I needed to know from you."

"Oh?" his voice returned to normal immediately, interested perked. "And what could that be?"

"That day, when my brother died, why did you send Styx?" his expression darkened, "it was a stupid move to send her into a place covered with Zeus and his men, and why her? Especially considering…" I trailed off noticing the look on his face and realization dawned upon me. "She doesn't know does she?"

His silence was my answer. "Tell me Hades, what did you tell her happened to her mother?"

"She was a useless whore and ran off with another man."

"And what did you tell her of Tobias"

"…"

"Oh, don't worry. I _know_ about his betrayal, so what did you tell your dearest daughter?"

"That he was another royal who was sick and tired of Zeus and wanted command."

"So you never told her he was her _brother_?"

"H-how did you know that!" he was actually shocked at my knowledge and I found that amusing.

"I know a lot more than you think I do, and I know that Styx was sent to kill _me_ and not Tobias."

"She obviously failed!" he roared, angered that his plan fell apart.

"Au contraire, my dearest _uncle_. She didn't."

"What?"

"Have you already forgotten about the white haired child that used to follow you in your dreams?" He stared at me stunned and I took great pleasure in knowing that I had caused such a reaction.

"That was you? But how?" His voice was tinged with disbelief, and I wasn't surprised. None of the royals have been known to have that ability.

"You can thank your dearest Aunt, Lady Theia and her husband Lord Helios for reviving me and blessing me with this new ability. I know of _everything_ that transpired back then. And I know the truth of Styx, Pallas and Tobias' mother. So tell me, did you ever tell her that Tobias and Trevor were twins? Or that she was responsible for not one, but _two_ of her brothers' deaths?"

"S-she didn't need to know!" he spluttered.

"Oh? I believe that _you_ were the one who stated that Styx loved her brother and was deeply hurt and distraught at Trevor's death, so how would she feel if she knew that she had inadvertently caused both of their deaths? Or perhaps the fact that she _does_ have surviving siblings considering that I'm actually her half-sister?" I taunted him, his reactions causing great joy within me. I had hated the fact that he had used Toby against me, I loved him deeply, he was my brother, my world, my everything, and his betrayal destroyed me. I hated that he willingly worked for Hades after everything Zeus had done for him, and I hated Hades for being responsible for everything that hurt my family and I in this world.

"_It's been done. I'm waiting for you outside."_ Aria's voice drifted into my mind and I grinned triumphantly at him.

"Well, it's been good catching up with you, but I must leave now."

"What!" He replied, outraged, "you think I'm going to let you leave here alive?" his aura flared up menacingly and he began to transform before my eyes. His yellow aura faded into deep black as black wings appeared on his back, his eyes turned blood red, brunette hair lengthening and turning pure black, and a dark purple Pluto symbol appearing on his forehead. His elongated fangs appeared and he snarled at me with a look of pure evil and anger all over his face.

I responded in kind as my eyes turned white, wings appearing, and golden Jupiter symbol appearing. "You don't have the option to stop me." White aura pulsed vividly around me as red and white started to form on the ground around me, a circle with symbols appeared and the room started to shine and shake.

"What are you doing?" he screamed as he felt himself being constrained by invisible forces.

"A little trick I picked up from Helios, enjoy!" The red lines rushed along the ground towards him and shot up as they wrapped around his body, binding him to the spot as the white light began to surround him. I flickered out of the room as his painful screams echoed along the hallways, smug grin firmly set on my face.

I knew that it wouldn't be able to hold him for long, but his anger and emotions had clouded his thoughts and ability to reason, allowing me to take advantage and catch him off guard, distracting him for long enough to escape. He was strong, but he wouldn't risk fighting against both Arizona and I with the combined efforts of the Elders and all the Generals, he wasn't stupid and would never head into a battle he didn't have 100 per cent certainty on.

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

The serum had boosted Erica's powers, but I could feel the effects wearing off. I saw that she had retrieved another syringe and lunged at her before she had a chance to inject herself. I grabbed her arm, forming a barrier of ice around it, disabling it and launched a powerful wave of energy surrounded by lightning directly to her face, launching her flying towards the wall that came crashing down on her.

I was about to continue with my attack, but Lucia's voice filtered through my head.

"_Retreat, Apollo has been apprehended, Aria and Lexie have returned empty handed, any further efforts will be for nought. Poseidon and Aphrodite are not here."_

I growled in anger and turned to face Calliope, Teddy and Addison, who had disposed of all the strays a while before. "Let's go." We flickered out of the room without a backwards glance to Erica who had yet to emerge from under the debris.

As we reached the meeting point, I saw Tim being held by Mark and Alex, he was covered in blood and cuts and looked absolutely exhausted. I glanced briefly at Elizabeth to see that, whilst she had some minor injuries, she looked perfectly healthy, and I marvelled at her strength and ability to defeat a royal.

We could hear the angered and painful screams of someone roaring through the front yard and shivered.

"Who _is _that?" asked a fearful Addison.

"I believe that is Hades" Elizabeth replied

We stared at her stunned, "Terri was fighting Hades, so _she's_ causing this?" I asked.

"I'm causing what now?" A voice appeared suddenly behind me and I turned instantly, prepared to attack. She caught my arm and smiled gently at me. "Calm down Ari, it's me." We stared at her in awe, seeing that she was perfectly unharmed.

"What did you do to him?" I asked, trembling at the thought of his screams.

"Just a distraction." She replied absentmindedly staring at Tim. "We're all here then? Good, let's go. Hurry!"

As we were turning to leave, a huge explosion took out a few of our soldiers.

"Retreat! Quickly!" Terri ordered.

Wave after wave of strays appeared from nowhere as Erica flew from the main doors, heading straight for me, blade of Cronus shining brightly in her hand. Her speed was so fast and appearance so unexpected that I didn't have time to react before she was in front of me ready to attack.

"Arizona!" Calliope cried and I closed my eyes ready for the pain.

But it never came, as another body collided with mine.

"Tim!" I stared in horror at the sight of my brother impaled through the chest with the sword that was still glowing vibrantly with power.

"Go Ari! Go now!" He managed, through blood filled breaths.

Terri appeared before me, knocking Erica back as arms pulled me back towards our retreating group. "No! Tim! Let me go! I can't leave him. TIM!"

Terri's aura flared up frighteningly and she gave a great roar as she let out a powerful wave of energy that destroyed over half of the charging strays.

Calliope's warmth settled over mine as we flickered out of the area, tears streaming down both of our faces.

_Tim…_

* * *

When we had settled back at Terri's mansion, she looked exhausted, but had gathered us all into the meeting room once again.

"Hades' strength has fallen greatly, if we attack again soon, before he has the chance to rebuild his strength, we stand a great chance of taking out his entire army. It'll give us time to regroup and plan an attack directly on him." She stated calmly.

I was still wired from the battle at the sudden loss of my brother that I lost control. "Are you kidding me? _Tim_ just died. He _died_ Terri! And you're planning the next attack? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"He knew it would happen when we started."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Tim was a double agent, he worked his way into Hades' forces and had been providing us with information about his location and Poseidon and Aphrodite's wellbeing."

I stared at her stunned. "Y-you planned this? I thought Elizabeth got all the information?"

"Not quite, whilst it is true that I was tasked with watching Hades, I was also liaising with Timothy." Elizabeth replied.

"Then what was yesterday about? Your insistence to fight Tim, and your great show of berating Terri for her 'sympathy and pity', and the whole 'betrayal must be punished' thing then?"

"It is exactly as you said it, a show. We could have anyone knowing the truth, we needed a fall back plan in case our attack failed and Apollo needed to return to Hades' side."

"So, this is your fault T?" I spat out.

"What is?"

"Tim's death!" I roared, horrified at her nonchalance at the event.

"It's all a part of war Ari, you know that, and he knew that. It was his choice to infiltrate Hades' side and to jump in front of Styx's attack. Even if he weren't a spy, he would still have been at the battle and would still have taken the attack for you. There was nothing I could have done."

"Nothing? Nothing! I wouldn't have misunderstood him! The last time I saw him wouldn't have been filled with anger, hatred and betrayal! How many people knew of the plan?" I was disgusted at her; I couldn't believe she would do this to me.

"Not including myself? Elizabeth and Richard."

"So everyone thought he was a traitor? He died whilst we all thought of him as a traitor! How could you do that to me, to us Terri?"

"It had to be done, for the sake of our Kingdom, for the future of our empire." She stated calmly.

"_Fuck_ the Kingdom, fuck the people, I don't care! He was my _only_ brother and this battle was pointless, you couldn't even find my parents! You've killed the only family member I have left! God, I hate you so much right now Terri, why would you do that, after everything I've done for you?" The hatred was filling my mind and I could do nothing about it.

"You know what? Screw this. Screw everything! I give up. It's not worth losing everything over. I've already lost Tim, who's next? Calliope? Alex? Teddy? You're a monster Terri, and I can't forgive you."

"Ari-" she started

"No! I give up. I'm not doing this anymore."

"What do you mean?" Her voice was hard

"I'm withdrawing from the court." There were gasps all around at my declaration and I could see the pain swimming in her eyes. "I don't want to be a part of this anymore and I don't want to lose anyone else, so I'm withdrawing. This is no longer my battle, and I give up my position in line to the throne. I'm giving everything up and I just want to return to my life with Calliope in Seattle."

"I'm coming with you." Teddy stated.

"Me too boss. I'm following you." Alex added.

"Us too." Mark and Addison agreed. "Sorry ma'am," Mark addressed Lucia, "you may be our sire, but we can't let something like this go. It was unfair, she used her own family and team member and she doesn't even care that he's dead."

"I agree with you." Lucia's statement shocked everyone. "I apologise, but I cannot follow the lead of someone who has no concerns over their own family or team member."

"I thought family and team had no place in war, Mnemosyne?" Terri's voice was mocking and I felt my anger flare up again.

"Maybe so, but this was an unnecessary battle, you had ulterior motives didn't you? You confronted Hades, yet you neither fought nor captured him. So why did you go to him? You're motives are suspicious and I cannot allow that."

"So you're withdrawing your position as well, without my father's permission?" Terri's voice was filled with disbelief.

"As the interim Queen, you have the permission to grant it, right, _my Queen_?" Lucia taunted, and Terri stuttered in her response.

"I-if that is what you wish, then I shall grant you all freedom."

"Lexie, you're coming with us right?" Mark asked the jittery brunette who had been watching the exchange in silence, she let out a quiet 'eep' as attention was brought to her.

"Uh…um…I…uh…" She stuttered endlessly as her eyes jumped from person to person. On seeing the conflict on her face, Terri stepped in.

"You are all dismissed." The Elders and Generals all began to protest, but she raised a hand and silenced them all, "_Now"_ her voice left no room for argument, and they reluctantly filed out of the room, throwing glances of disbelief at us on the way.

Finally, all that was left was our friends, Calliope, Aria, Lucia, Richard, Elizabeth, Terri and myself; Bailey, Thalia and Clio having been missing since we returned.

* * *

"What's it going to be Lex? Are you staying with the cold hearted Princess or are you coming with us?" Addie demanded.

"I-I" Lexie started to fidget on the spot.

"You don't have to stay, I may have marked you, but I have never _once_ treated you like property. You have free will and the option to make any choice you wish. You will not suffer any repercussions." Terri added in.

"Lex! Come on babe, let's just go, we can enjoy life as normal." Mark pleaded

"I-I can't. I'm sorry Mark, but I'm doing what right."

"This isn't right, she let Tim die! She preaches about family and team, but she _let Tim die!_ She may as well have killed him with her own hands!" Mark was furious at her reluctance.

"I promised her, the day I found out about her, that I would help her until the very end, and I can't go back on that promise. She saved my life, she gave me a new life, and I met so many wonderful people, made so many new friends, I got the chance to be with you, but I can't abandon her now." I sighed, I admired her loyalty, but I felt that it was misplaced. _If she's worried about the mark, I could always re-mark her…_

"Lexie, just go. If it will clear your conscience, I deem your promise fulfilled, you've helped me out a lot already. I can remove your mark if you wish. Arizona can re-mark you. You have no obligations to me." Terri must've caught on to my thoughts.

"I'm staying, it is my choice that I am making of my own free will and I choose to stay loyal by my leader's side." She replied firmly.

"You're making a mistake." Addie sneered.

"I can't help it if you think that, but Terri has given me everything, I can't leave her when she has nothing left."

"She's has plenty left! She has her kingdom, her people, her freaking war to fight." Mark was getting desperate now and I felt guilty that I was separating the two of them.

"But she has no family or team to support her. I am staying as a member of the family _she_ welcomed me into, and I am staying as a member of the team _she_ has protected." Silence overcame the room and I could see the guilt in Teddy and Alex's eyes as her statement hit home. They too were welcomed into our family and team by Terri and I could see them begin to reconsider their rash decision.

"Just leave it." I broke the silence and all eyes fell onto me, "I admire your loyalty Lexie and as much as I hate to do it, I accept your decision." I could hear Mark's huff of protest, but there was nothing else we could do to sway her now, I could see the determination shining in her eyes. "I just hope that your loyalty doesn't hurt you in the process." I narrowed my eyes at Terri who had yet to take her eyes off Lexie.

"Thank you Arizona, and I wish you the best. I'm sorry Mark, but I'm not leaving."

And with that, we left the room to pack up our belongings. Mark was the last to leave, eyes never leaving Lexie as her eyes remained on the floor.

_I'm sorry too Mark._

* * *

Callie p.o.v

I was furious at the outcome of today's battle. I couldn't believe that Terri had sent Tim in to be a spy and had nothing to say of his death other than 'he knew what he had signed up for'. I had thought that she fought for her family and her team, but I guess my initial thoughts about her were true after all. But more so than that, I couldn't believe Lexie was willing to stand by her, even after everything that she had saw.

Realization dawned upon me as I remembered that Aria had yet to make her stance. Arizona had left me in our room as she went to take her final walk around the manor that she had grew up in and I sensed Aria and my mother walk into the room.

"Come with us" I insisted

"I'm not leaving her."

"But why Aria, you'll end up losing your life too, she doesn't care about anything or anyone." I couldn't let her stay, she was my sister and I loved her too much to watch her die.

"That's not true, she cares about me!" she replied indignantly

"How do you know that?" I refused to believe that Terri gave a shit about anything other than power and the throne, I mean, she had sacrificed Tim for crying out loud.

"I supported you when Arizona was 'Artemis', when she was cold and ruthless and merciless, I supported your choice to stay with her. Why did you stay with her?" she spat.

"Because I knew the truth, I knew that under all that hard exterior, my kind hearted, warm, and loving Arizona was still under there." I _knew_ what Arizona was really like, I trusted her and I believed that Arizona was doing what she felt was the right thing to do. For the sake of Terri.

"_How_ did you know?"

"Because I love her and I know her!" I shouted, frustration evident in my voice.

"Exactly, I know what Terri is really like. I know a side of her that no one else knows and I love her!" She screamed back at me.

"Aria…" I was shocked into silence at her declaration, she had never admitted to being in love with someone like that before. Sure, she had her 'fling of the weeks', but not once had she ever felt more than a 'strong like' towards them. _What the hell has Terri done to you Aria?_

"No Callie, you've made your choice and I'm making mine." She stated in a low voice full of defeat.

"But it's the wrong one." I was grasping at straws now, Aria was a Torres and we were known for our stubborn streaks, but I couldn't lose my sister.

"Have I ever tried to discourage you from chasing Arizona?"

"No, but this is different."

"No it's not, Terri has done _nothing_ wrong, but all of you are too blind and fucking stupid to see all the sacrifices she has made for all of you. Well I have! I've seen everything she's done for you guys and I'm not leaving her alone, I'm not leaving her to fight this battle on her own."

"She hasn't made _any_ sacrifices, she has sacrificed other people. People like Tim!" I could feel my anger slowly building. I could understand her need to stand by the one she loved, but to completely disregard what happened to Tim? That was unforgiveable.

"Calliope" My mother warned, speaking up for the first time since they entered my room.

"I respected your choice Callie, I gave up my own future for you, and even _if_ it worked out in my favour, I made a sacrifice for _you_. The least you could do is respect my choice!" her voice was small and she sounded so tired.

"I don't get it." The tears were gathering in my eyes now, why couldn't she just understand that the best thing for her is to get away from Terri, as far as possible.

"I don't want or need you to understand, I love you Callie and Mama, you too, but you just have to respect my wishes."

"And we shall." My mother answered.

"Mama!" I protested, horrified that my mother would give in so easily.

"Calliope, Aria is right. She's a grown woman capable of making her own decisions and taking on the responsibility of any consequences."

"But-"

"Calliope, we need to respect her wishes." There was finality in her voice and my posture slumped in defeat, the tears I had tried so hard to hold back started falling down my cheeks.

"I love you Aria, and if you ever need anything, call me." I urged, and she nodded as tears fell from her eyes. We gathered together for a final family embrace as Arizona entered the room.

"Calliope, we need to leave now." I let go reluctantly and walked to the front door with Aria's hand firmly held in mine.

As the car pulled away from the manor, I kept my head turned to the back window, watching as Aria's waving figure became smaller and smaller, tears blurring my vision. I turned back around when I could no longer see her and buried my face into Arizona's shoulder, my mother holding onto my left hand.

"I'm sorry Calliope." Arizona's voice was low and full of remorse.

"It's not your fault Ari, she made her choice and I have to live with that." She hummed at my response, knowing that not even I was convinced, but it was the truth and I had to learn to accept it.

* * *

Aria p.o.v

I walked back into the manor after their car was no longer visible to find Terri standing by the window looking out, hidden behind the curtains, eyes filled with pain and regret.

Lexie, Richard and Elizabeth stood silently by her side dwelling in the dark and depressing aura emanating from her. I trusted her and believed in her, but it didn't mean that I wasn't deeply hurt that her actions had caused my sister and mother to leave us, to leave me all alone.

"Aren't you going to tell her?" Richard's deep voice broke the silence.

"No." came the calm reply

"Why?"

"Because she needs to live. Originally I had wanted Tim to become the next heir, but Arizona will make a better Crown. Her perky, bubbly personality makes her likeable, I've seen her at the hospital, her patients, their parents, her colleagues they all love her and the brightness she brings to the world. Her compassion is what'll save us." I gasped at the revelation. _This was all part of her plan? What the hell is going on?_

"Compassion?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah, we've always been told that mercy and compassion will be the downfall of our kingdom, but have we ever actually tried to rule with that? Cronus did, and he was successful, until he was taken by his own insanity. But regardless, times were peaceful, between the humans and us, and all the vampires recognised him as their true ruler. Arizona has that, and she has what it takes to become a great Queen."

"And yourself? You are the most compassionate person I have ever known, even if you've hidden it behind that cold exterior of yours, don't forget, I watched you grow up, and you were always kind hearted to everyone and everything, even young master Tim. You always forgave his mistakes and took on his punishment as your own, and don't forget about Lady Arizona, you took her in and treated her as the sister you never had. You gave them everything they've ever wanted and more, and even your followers; did you not sire them to save their lives? You wanted them to live, and not because you needed soldiers, but because you trusted them with your secrets and they in return were loyal to you, even now when they've all abandoned you, all you're thinking about is them." Richard insisted, and I felt the anger and hurt melt away slightly. He was right; all Terri has ever done was for the sake of others, and never for herself.

_Callie was wrong, Terri isn't selfish. She's the most selfless person I have ever met and it's their loss that they will never get to be around her any more._

I thought back to yesterday when I had confronted Terri in the hallway.

_*Flashback*_

_Her forehead came into contact with mine and I felt her aura suddenly flare slightly before her voice echoed in my head._

"_Did you feel it?"_

"_What was that?"_

"_A protective barrier of sorts, but you need to remember what it feels like."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because it will lead you to Poseidon and Aphrodite."_

"_W-what?"_

"_Tomorrow, when we head into battle, I need you to follow that signature and head straight for them. When you reach them, I need you to distract Lexie and the agents that will be following you, they cannot know where they are."_

"_Why"_

"_Only you can see them, and I need you to give them something."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Two vials of blood. My blood to be exact enhanced with Richard's serum. And when you've given it to them, tell them to use it when I give them the signal, and then I want you to leave and tell the others that you found nothing."_

_I let out a gasp as my eyes shot open. _"Terri… Y-you want me to…"

"_Shhh, not out loud. Just listen to me okay? This is not a battle that we can win, _yet_. The barriers around the walls imprisoning them not only act as a limiter on their powers, but it sustains their lives. Elizabeth said that the injuries that they'd received over 20 years ago still ails them, which means they're not healing. And we don't know what else Hades has put them through, but if we removed them from the room, we stand the risk of killing them the instant they leave. The blood will allow their bodies to heal and their powers to recharge, enough at least to fight their way out."_

"_But why do I have to pretend to have not found anything? Can't we let Arizona know that we've found her parents?"_

"_Think about it, if we let her know, do you really think she'll allow us to leave them there? She would rather them die than to spend another day in Hades' dungeon, and I really need them to be alive."_

"_Are you sure the blood will help them?"_

"_Yes, I've already said that my blood has healing abilities, but enhanced with Richard's serum that allowed Teddy and Arizona's recovery to speed up, it's their only chance. And I trust Richard with my life, his purpose in our Kingdom is to heal, so it's his speciality. Do you trust me?"_

"_Completely"_

"_Then trust in Richard too."_

_My arms tightened around her waist and I nodded, feeling the tears building._

"_Thank you"_

_*End flashback*_

Her last words echoed through my head and I could feel how much they still affected me even now.

"_I stand to lose more than I can bear tomorrow, and regardless of the outcome, I will lose no matter what."_

"It doesn't matter anymore Richard, it's too late for Tim and myself, we've killed too many and there's too much fear around us for us to rule in peace. Sooner or later they'll rebel against us instead, they need us too much right now, to defeat Hades, but after? _We_ will become what they fear the most, their every action will be made in caution, they will never willingly submit to me, bow down to me of their free will, it will all be done in fear. It's too late, Arizona is the only one who can save the kingdom and return it to the peace we once had." She sounded so defeated and tired I felt my heart break.

"And what of the war now? You _need_ them Princess." Elizabeth added, trying to urge her to convince them to return.

"My father is returning soon, you've seen the signs too right? The moment he returns, we can officially call upon the soldiers and they can take care of the strays, our main target is and always has been Hades and Styx. The moment they die, the strays will be easy pickings compared." I felt Lexie gasp, as we were both shocked by her statement. _Zeus is returning? What does she mean by 'officially call upon the soldiers'? There is so much I don't understand._

I glanced over to Lexie to see that she was as confused as I was, staring wide eyed between Terri and the two Elders.

"If that is your wish, my Lord." Elizabeth and Richard relented hesitantly with a bow. They left soon after, leaving Lexie and I alone with a defeated Terri who was looking more and more exhausted.

* * *

"Are you okay with them leaving?" I spoke up; breaking the awkward silence that had formed after the Elders had left.

"Are you okay with leaving your mother and your sister?" she asked back.

"Not the point, they made their choice and I made mine." I stated firmly.

"Exactly, they made their choice and I made mine."

"_Teresa Ryans!_" I growled, frustrated by her false pretence of nonchalance.

"I'm sorry, but I mean it. It's their choice to leave, and I've been expecting it since I agreed to make Tim the mole." She complied, finally.

"But don't you need them to fight with you?" Lexie inquired.

"My father is returning soon." Terri stated simply and I rolled my eyes. _As if that answers everything._

"But, I thought he had gone missing?"

"Not exactly, we had spread word of his disappearance in order to force Hades' hand. My father has gone off to train with the Seers, train with their Serum, and if he's returning now, then it would seem that he has been successful."

"The Serum? But, that's poisonous." Lexie's voice was full of question, and I smiled at her inquisitiveness.

"Not if he trains with their creators: Theia and Helios. They can recreated a serum for him."

"But why would he do it?" Lexie stated, more to herself than anyone else.

"Because of Hades and Styx, they have been using the serum."

"What? How?" I was mystified by her unending knowledge of Hades and Styx's actions.

"Tim, he's been our mole for a while now."

"Then, that day at the gym was a lie?" Lexie sounded disappointed at her; perhaps she was reconsidering her position with Terri.

"Not exactly, I knew of it yes, but I had never seen the results and it was a lot more powerful than I had expected. Everything was real, except the shock of seeing her with the serum. I'm sure you noticed that my blood had no effect on Tim when he attacked me? That's because I knew of his actions and in turn I gave my blood freely, so he wasn't poisoned by the splash back." We nodded in understanding. It made sense and to be honest, it hadn't even occurred to me to think about the effect of her blood.

"So what now, we wait until Zeus comes and then we head into battle?" I questioned, completely lost as to what our next move was.

"I do, yes, but not you. You can't go."

"What! No, I'm coming." I was outraged that she thought I had fought so hard against my family to be with her only to be abandoned in the face of danger.

"You can't, if you're there I will become distracted and there are no second chances with them. Hell, I might die even if you're not there."

"Then even more reason for me to be there, I won't let you die! And if by any chance you do, I'm coming with you either way."

"Aria, don't." She pleaded slightly, in a voice I had never heard before. _Am I really that important to her?_

"Aren't you afraid of me being betrothed to the next Crown?" I changed my plan of attack, hoping to gain more information into my importance to her. Yeah, it was pretty selfish, but she was hard to read and I could never understand how she really felt about me.

"You can't anyway." She huffed childishly, drawing a wide eyed stare from Lexie.

"Why?" This was news to me.

"Three reasons, one, because you're already _my_ mate, two, because the next Crown already _has_ a mate, and three, if I die, you're free."

"Tim has a mate?" When did that happen?

"No, Arizona does though."

"But I thought Tim was the next heir?" I was getting confused. All this time Tim had been made out to become the next heir after Terri, yet all of a sudden Arizona was the next heir? I glanced towards Lexie to see her head tilted in complete confusion.

"He can't do it, I mean, he's… dead." She replied cryptically. "That leaves only Arizona."

"And I'm free if you die?" I felt horrible, but for a moment, I had completely forgotten about Tim's death.

"Yeah, because your destiny is to become the bride of the Crown, you're already mated to me, even though ours isn't a proper 'bond', _yet_." This caught my attention, _not a proper bond yet? _"Regardless, it means you've technically fulfilled your part of the destiny, if your mate happens to die, you're free from the bride of the crown."

I narrowed my eyes at her as realization struck me. "You planned this?"

"What do you mean?" Terri recoiled slightly at the accusation.

"You and Tim planned the double agent, so no doubt you've already planned for all different scenarios, like what if Tim died as a double agent, and you died in the war." I could feel my heart tighten at the thought of her dying, but I pushed forward with my conclusion.

"You had already planned on Arizona leaving didn't you? You needed to have someone left if you died. Arizona would take the Crown, and as the Bride of the Crown, I would belong to her, except that's not how fate works, because Callie is her destined mate. Is that why you marked me? So I wouldn't get in the way of Callie, so Callie wouldn't lose her mate, because Arizona would most definitely fulfil your wishes, even if it meant taking me on as a bride, but now that I'm mated to you that can't happen. Was this all part of the plan? Callie and I, were we just pawns?" As I finished my tirade, I was hit by sudden horror. _What if I was right and Terri was doing all of this to save Arizona heart break? What do I do?_

"You're right." My breath caught and my heart sunk. _I knew it, God I'm so stupid!_

"Wait, listen to me. Just, listen okay." She could see the conflict upon my face and waited until I calmed down. "You're right, I had planned for Tim to 'betray' us, and I had a plan to make Arizona leave, even though _this_ wasn't how I imagined it would happen. I had a plan to make Arizona the Crown, and yes, I knew that her destined mate was Calliope, and I do already have a plan for what will happen should I die, that is _all _true. All except for you."

* * *

I was caught off guard by the sudden confession, "W-what do you mean?"

"I had ulterior motives for wanting to mark you. I didn't know you were the Bride of the Crown when I first met you, but when I found out, it all just worked in my favour." She avoided eye contact with me as Lexie watched on curiously.

"And that means?"

"I wanted you." She stated so simply it was as if she was commenting on the weather.

"Y-you wanted me?" I felt warmth rush through my body as my cheeks began to heat up, I stole a glance at Lexie to see her fidgeting with a bright red cheeks.

"Yeah, is that hard to believe? Since the day I met you at SGMW, I've wanted you, but I've never had the chance. Like Tim, I'm not allowed the luxury or pleasure of romance, I would've been happy just to keep working side by side with you, but _of course_ you would be involved with vampires because of Calliope. I dared hope for a second that I could tempt you, but I couldn't allow it, I couldn't allow you to come to me through trickery, and I couldn't abandon my mission."

"Then why did you do it then? The deal with Callie and my mother for me?" My cheeks were still burning and I knew that it was really awkward for Lexie to be hearing this, but I couldn't help but want to know more. I couldn't afford to break from the conversation to dismiss her, not without Terri hiding away again.

"Because I was weak and powerless against my emotions, my intense hatred and anger towards you mother provoked me to try to hurt her, regardless of my own feelings. It was something I could never allow to happen again, I had explained to you on the day remember?" She was beginning to sound frustrated and I briefly wondered if she would start stomping her feet and pouting. I giggled slightly at the vision it evoked and saw Lexie peering at my oddly, waiting for my answer.

I sobered immediately, "Yeah, but I never thought that you _wanted_ me."

"Why is that so hard to believe? You're amazing, beautiful, talented and you have so much fire and love in you, anyone would be lucky to be by your side." She stated adamantly, even adding a slight nod at the end, drawing a stifled chuckled from Lexie at her childish antics.

"Then why haven't you bonded with me properly yet then?" I complained, even throwing in a pout for added effect.

Her deer in the headlights expression had Lexie crying as she tried heroically to hold in her laughter. "Seriously? That's not an awkward question at all."

I arched an eyebrow at her deflection, determined not to let her go, "You've just flat out said that you want me, but you're not okay with talking about bonding with me?"

"_Because_ the final bonding is marriage." She whined.

"…" _Oh… I never thought about it like that._ Lexie sighed dreamily, as if she was watching a romantic scene on TV. _Though I couldn't argue with her there, Terri's just practically made a declaration of love and now we're on marriage._

"Yeah…" she continued after a prolonged moment of silence, "and it needs to be in the presence of the King, or at least _one_ elder vampire. So we'll need either my father or one of his siblings/aunt/uncle, to witness and recognise our bond, because I'm the Crown."

The room dropped into silence.

* * *

"I want that." I blurted out suddenly and instantly felt another blush come on.

"What?" Terri and Lexie both exclaimed. _Not the reaction I was going for…_

"I want to be bonded with you properly."

"Seriously?" Her voice was filled with disbelief and I felt my heart constrict at the thought that she didn't believe that someone wanted her that much. _How much pain and loneliness have you experienced that you can't fathom the idea that I want you as much as you want me?_

"Yeah. When your father comes back, before you go to the war, I want to complete our bonding. I've said it to you before, you've just got to make sure you don't die, you've got something to fight for now don't you?" I smiled lovingly at her and it slowly turned into a wide grin as I saw the excitement and joy in her eyes.

"So you're completely in?" She asked and I rolled my eyes.

"_Yes_, without a doubt."

"And you Lex?" we turned to see Lexie, barely holding in her own awe and joy at the scene before her.

"Totally, I'm with you both 100 per cent." She was practically bouncing with happiness.

"Then there's something I need to show you. Follow me." Lexie and I shared a glance before following Terri outside into a hallway. She led us to a hidden door and down a set of stairs before finally stopping outside a reinforced metal door.

When we entered, Lexie and I were astonished at the sight before us.

There was a pod, similar to the one Terri was placed in back in Miami, and it was surrounded by machines that were beeping constantly. Richard, Elizabeth, Bailey, Thalia and Clio were gathered in the room deep in conversation in front of one of the monitors.

"W-what is that?" I asked shakily.

"Tim." Lexie and I gasped at her answer.

"B-but I thought he was dead?" Lexie asked.

"Not quite, he was injured, badly, but not quite dead yet. I had to get everyone else out of there, but if you remember correctly, Thalia and Clio were missing from the action?" we nodded in agreement, "they were tasked with keeping an eye out for Tim. Obviously we hadn't expected Styx's sudden attack, and with her sudden burst of speed, they wouldn't have been able to intervene anyway. But whilst I got everyone to safety, they collected his body and placed him here."

"Then that argument with Arizona was for nought?" I asked incredulously.

"Not really, like I said, Arizona needs to stay alive and she can't do that if she's in battle with me." She replied solemnly.

"Lexie, there's something I need you to do for me." She suddenly asked and Lexie stood to attention.

"Anything, my Lord." She replied instantly, drawing a smile from the both of us.

"Not now, but when Tim finally wakes up, there's something I need you to do." Lexie tilted her head curiously, but nodded anyway.

* * *

A.N: Just in case you haven't figured it out 'Fide et fortitude' means 'Loyalty and Bravery', it's Latin… or so google translate tells me it is =]


	22. Chapter 22: Rebirth: TR

A.N: The Captain is just too awesome. I'd finished a lot of chapters over the weekend and had sent her 3 in 2 days. I've still got another 2 completed chapters, but they are currently needed for me to write the next few, so I'll keep them to myself for now =P. Hopefully the wait shouldn't be too long =]

**To AZsgirl:** Yes! Terri totally has the foresight to plan everything out, that's what makes her such a great leader, and why she's survived for so long. She needs to be calm and cool to protect her family, and she needed to make up for Arizona's previous reluctance to killing all strays.

**To ShuFly: **Yeah, this is totally a Callie/Arizona pairing story, but it's not centred around them. I did need a while to fully explain Terri's character and the reasoning behind all her actions, but after that's done, there will be more Arizona and Callie interaction. Those 3 along with Aria are really the main characters here lol. Also, I like Tim too much to kill him, I couldn't do it to Arizona, she needs her loving brother!

**To addictedgeek:** The fight scene will be in the next chapter and I _really_ hope I don't disappoint! Ack! Season 9 was a killer, my heart broke. Callie/Arizona seem to be ending and Owen/Cristina are breaking up too!

**To Jcapfans: **Thanks for the support, unfortunately you don't get to see what happens to Terri, _yet._ But hang around and we can all find out together! =P

Once again, **2damnpretty2die**, is _way_ too awesome for me to handle! Thanks for all the help Captain *salutes*

* * *

Chapter 22: Rebirth: T.R

Callie p.o.v

It had been about 6 months since Tim's death, since we've left Terri and returned to Seattle. We haven't heard anything from them and Arizona refuses to take part in any conversations involving them. When we returned to SGMW we had to explain to Owen why we had returned and to say that he was disappointed wouldn't even be able to begin to describe his reaction. It had taken 2 months before he could look at us without sadness or disappointment in his eyes.

Arizona and I had moved back into the apartment across from the hospital that I used to share with Aria, and Teddy and Addie moved in with us. Mark had taken up the apartment across the hall with Alex and had reverted back to his manwhore ways to overcome his grief at losing Lexie. The guilt still plagued me, and I turned a blind eye to his actions, hoping he would be able to get over her.

My mother had temporarily relocated to Seattle, and had bought a house nearby. She said she wanted to spend more time with me and seeing as the mansion back in Miami still needed to be rebuilt and my dad was going to be away on business for the foreseeable future, she didn't want to be alone and so moved with us. I was happy that I could see her so often, especially considering that we hadn't heard from Aria in months.

I was currently on my way to the Peds wing to find my girlfriend; I had woken up alone this morning as she had been paged in for an emergency surgery before her 18 hour shift. I cringed at the thought of her trying to function on only about 2 hours' worth of sleep, but I suppose being a vampire had its perks sometimes.

"Hey Dr Torres! Fancy seeing you here." The nurse said from behind the nurses' station and I recognised her as Arizona's favourite scrub nurse Anne. I had found out that Anne was a vampire that had been sired by Terri; her and her children were involved in a car crash. Her children got away with a couple of bruises and scratches, but Anne's injuries were fatal, and she couldn't stand the idea of leaving her children alone as she was a single mother. So Terri had marked and sired her allowing her to live for her children. From what Arizona has told me, Anne has nothing to do with the battles and the Kingdom, she's just another vampire working in a vampire filled hospital.

"Hey Anne, have you seen Arizona around?" I smiled at her, but faltered in my steps as I saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah, Dr Robbins is just finishing up a consultation; she'll be here in a second. Did you have plans?"

"Hm? Not really, I just wanted to see if she was free for lunch." The sadness was something I should've been used to by now, but it still caught me off guard every time. She was always so happy to see us, but her eyes betrayed her true feelings. It wasn't that she was disappointed at us for leaving Terri, but more that she was sad that our family had broken apart and Terri was alone.

"Well, she doesn't have anything scheduled so she should be free, and if anything comes up I'll page the other doctors."

"Thanks Anne." We were disrupted by the sounds of wheels squeaking across the floor and the scent of Arizona filled my senses.

"Hey there stranger! What are you doing on my floor?" Her bubbly voice appeared from behind and I turned around with a huge grin on my face.

"I have nothing to do, are you free for lunch?"

"Ouch! I'm second choice? Only because you have nothing to do? That hurts Calliope!" she faux pouted and pretended to be insulted, drawing a laugh from Anne.

I leaned in to give her a chaste peck on the lips and her pout morphed into a smirk. "Forgive me?"

She sighed dramatically, "if I must!" she then turned to Anne, "The patient in room 4 is good to go, so if you get them their discharge papers." She nodded, "right, then I'll be off to lunch. Page me if anything comes up."

As we walked away, the curiosity still bugged me, "Hey Ari, has Anne still not forgiven us yet?"

"hm?"

"I mean she's been giving us these sad puppy eyes since we've returned, and it's been 6 months already. Even Owen has gotten over it, and she's not even part of the war, so what's up with that?"

"It's not that she hasn't forgiven us. It's just… After everything _she's_ done for her, Anne just wanted _her_ to be happy with her family. She had always commented on how great and sweet our bond and relationships were, and she hoped that her own family could have that too, but now that we've all broken apart, she's just sad for _her_." I noticed the effort Arizona put in to avoid Terri's name and smiled sadly. _Even after 6 months she still can't forgive Terri huh?_

"Whatever, let's grab lunch. I missed you this morning." She pouted at me and I laughed as she grabbed onto my hand and pulled me towards the elevator.

* * *

When we entered the cafeteria, we instantly spotted Teddy and Addie sitting in the corner staring lovingly at each other.

"Oh get a room you two!" Arizona teased and they jumped apart, faces red and when they realised who it was, Teddy glared at her whilst Addie giggled.

"You're just jealous." Teddy shot back.

"Nope why would I be? I've got all I need right here" she wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into her body.

Addie and I shared a glance, already used to their antics, "Children, can't we have _one_ lunch where you don't try to argue over who's better?"

"Yes, you should just agree that we're both better than you and accept that you're lucky that we even chose you." Addie added with a smirk.

Arizona and Teddy shared a glance, holding a silent conversation, before nodding in consent, drawing smiles all around.

We were halfway into our lunch, casually chatting about the gossip flowing around and Mark's latest conquests when the sounds of pagers went off.

"It's mine, 9-1-1," Arizona sighed.

"Me too," Teddy moaned.

"Yeah, me three." I added and glanced towards Addie.

"Nope, I'm not needed." She answered with a smug grin, and with a groan the three of us ran towards the E.R to April Kepner who was the attending covering Trauma, as Owen had yet to fill in the Head of department position.

"What have we got?" Arizona shouted over the excitement in the E.R, switching to professional doctor mode instantly.

"8 year old, female. Car crashed into the back of a lorry and was impaled through the chest, multiple broken bones, eta 3 minutes."

We donned our gowns and gloves and waited for the ambulance outside the entrance. When it finally arrived, we jumped into action, but when Arizona saw the patient, she gasped and froze, eyes clouding over.

"Ari?" I called out concerned. She shook her head and her eyes cleared.

"Sorry, I'm okay. She just reminded me of… someone." Her voice was strained and I glanced at Teddy worried.

She looked up from the patient briefly and I heard her voice echo through my head.

"_Terri…"_

I gasped in realisation and returned my attention to the patient. The girl had pale skin, with dark hair that ended just passed her shoulders, and when her eyes fluttered open I saw dark and attentive eyes staring back at me.

_Is this what Terri was like when she was a girl?_ I glanced at Arizona briefly, seeing her pain filled eyes,_ oh baby, I'm so sorry._ I could feel her pain resonating within my own body and forced the feelings away as we focused on the patient.

* * *

"Patient is in v-fib" Anne's voice broke through the tensed silence in the O.R.

"Dammit, charge the paddles!" Teddy ordered from where Arizona and her had been working on her chest where the patient had been impaled.

"Clear!" Everyone backed away and the patient was shocked.

"No response."

"Charge again!"

"Charge to 300, clear!"

"No response."

"Again!"

"Charge to 350, clear!"

"No response." Teddy sighed as she prepared to call time of death.

"No, try again!" Arizona's voice commanded.

"Ari… It's too late, she's gone." Teddy's voice was tinged with sadness.

"No, try again dammit! Give me the paddles!" She went to grab the paddles from Teddy's hands, but I intervened.

"_Dr Robbins_, we did everything we could. She's gone…" I stared into her blue eyes that were now filling with tears.

"Dammit!" she tore the gown off her and stormed out of the room. I shared a glance with the occupants of the room, seeing the understanding on their faces and it hit me that they were all Terri's sired vampires.

"Go, I've got this." Teddy urged and I ran out without a second glance.

_I'm coming baby, just hold on._

* * *

I found her in one of the on call rooms and my heart broke at the sight of her hunched form sitting on the bed, sobbing.

"Ari…" I rushed to her side and she buried her face in my chest, the tears soaking my top instantly.

"I couldn't save her." She cried.

"It's not your fault, the injuries were too severe, you and Teddy did everything you could. I know that and _you_ know that too." I soothed.

"It's my fault! She's all alone and it's my fault! I gave up on her, and now she's dead!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked warily, already having an idea what she really meant.

Teddy's voice suddenly filtered into our minds and my heart sunk. _"I went to check on her parents, sorry guys, they were d.o.a"_

"She's just a child and she's got no one to support her anymore! She's always fought for her family and now she's got no one left! I left her! I shouldn't have left her!" Arizona was getting inconsolable and I could feel the overwhelming grief washing over me. I gasped at the sensation and tried to focus on sending happier thoughts to her.

She had never revealed her true feeling about leaving Terri and I feared that this was the breakdown we had all been expecting. The grief was becoming too much for me to handle, when I suddenly remembered something Alex had said before.

_*Flashback*_

"_There's a way for you to block out other peoples' thoughts and feelings you know?" We had all been sitting in my front room, talking about how distracting it was to hear the nurses' thought during surgery and the patients' distress whilst we were in the E.R._

"_What do you mean?" We looked at Alex in interest, usually I would have looked to Arizona for answers, but she was stuck in surgery tonight._

"_Yeah, it was something Lexie said before." Mark stiffened slightly at the mention of her name, but moved on immediately._

"_How does it work? I mean it's great to be able to hear their thoughts, so we're never blindsided, but when we're in surgery it's really distracting."_

"_Yeah, she had the same problem and Terri told her to set up mental blockages. She once overheard a nurse bitching about Terri and she turned around and started screaming at her. The nurse was completely baffled as to how she overheard her thoughts and Lexie was mortified. Terri found it amusing, but Lexie whined about it for about 5 days until she finally told her about the blocks. It also prevents other people reading your thoughts and feelings, well most of them anyway, but if they're really strong like Robbins, then it'll be harder to block them out."_

_I stared at him in wonder at his knowledge, and slightly amused at how much he had been listening to when Lexie rambled. He saw my knowing look and huffed out gruffly._

"_Hey, I may complain about her constant chatter, but I _do_ listen… sometimes. She really does know a lot, but that's also because she asks a lot of questions, but either way, I've actually learned a lot from her constant ramblings, and this just happens to be one of them."_

"_So how does it work?" Teddy asked curiously._

"_It's exactly as I said. You make mental blockages, and you do that by literally putting up walls in your head."_

_Addie and Mark looked at him sceptically, "Walls in your head?"_

"_Yeah just picture them, look I'll do it. Try reading my mind now." Alex closed his eyes in concentration and Mark focused his attention on him._

"… _Oh wow, I really can't get a read on you." Mark shouted in amazement._

"_Let me try!" Addie joined in excitedly, "… Shit, I literally hit a wall. It really works?"_

"_Yeah, it'll help the most when you have to talk to the family members after surgeries. I found it hard to talk to the parents of the patients that I lost, their grief and despair was overpowering my rational thoughts, and the walls helped me detach from any feelings."_

_*End flashback*_

I focused on placing up my walls, and even though I hated the loss of Arizona's constant presence in my soul, it needed to be done. The grief and pain faded to a dull hum instantly, and I realised this was the best I could do considering that Arizona wasn't just another vampire, she was my mate.

I pulled her into me tighter, "It's okay, just let it all out. No one's blaming you." Her cries echoed throughout the room as she began getting hysterical and I felt tears run down my own cheeks.

I couldn't blame her for losing control; Terri was a constant presence in her life and had been for the last 20 years. They had spent every day and night together, spent the happiest times of their lives together and to suddenly cut her off like that, there's no doubt that it would be painful. She had been so strong for the last 6 months supporting us in our own loss, Mark's loss of Lexie, my loss of Aria, Alex and Teddy's loss of their best friend, and had never taken any time for herself. She needed this and I would hold her and be there to fix her after.

_I'll never let you go._

* * *

Mark p.o.v

We were sitting in Callie and Addie's apartment, it had been a long day since Arizona broke down after losing a patient and we decided to try and take her mind off of it with a movie night, food and booze. Lucia had joined us for the night and I was half tempted to ask her to erase the memory from Arizona, but waved it off remembering what happened the last time she wiped her memories.

We were halfway through a stupid romantic comedy that Addie had picked and I was almost asleep when my phone suddenly rang. I picked up the phone and was confused by the name displayed on the screen.

_Incoming call Lexie_

"Hello, L-Lex?" I felt their eyes on me as I mentioned her name and Lucia paused the movie. I heard a lot of static on the other end and there was a lot of noise in the background.

"H….lo… M…" The signal was crackling and I was getting worried.

"Lexie? Can you hear me? Hello!" I screamed.

"…. Mark!" her voice was filled with fear and I began to panic.

"Put it on speaker" I heard Alex whisper from beside me.

"H….p"

"Lexie! I can't hear you."

"Help!" the signal suddenly cleared up and my blood froze.

"There's too many of them, T… can't hold them… anymore." It began to break up near the end again.

"Where are you Lexie?" Teddy asked calmly, though there was concern evident in her eyes.

"S….. Seattle. Help-" The phone suddenly cut off and I jumped from my seat.

"Lexie!"

There was a sudden drop in pressure as a familiar aura filled the area.

"Is that?" Addie asked apprehensively.

"Athena" Lucia answered and Arizona stiffened, jaw clenched.

She suddenly bolted out the door and we scrambled to follow her, when we caught up, we found her standing outside the lobby staring up into the sky, eyes bright purple. Following her line of vision, we looked up just in time to see a white feather floating down, and the sight of a figure in the sky with wings expelling an impressive amount of energy, before speeding off.

Without another word, Arizona shot upwards and bounded across the rooftops, following the figure. We almost tripped over each other in our rush to follow, and we were lucky that it was late at night and there wasn't anyone around to witness our sudden flight. Her speed slowly increased as we struggled to follow behind her, the only one managing to match her speed being my mother, and we finally ended up back by the docks. I immediately recognised where we were.

_Terri's warehouse._

It was eerily quiet as we regrouped at the front entrance. I could feel the trepidation from Arizona, we hadn't returned here since we came back to Seattle, she had said that there were too many memories here and she wanted to start anew. A sudden loud noise caught our attention and Mark ripped open the door, tearing through the room trying to locate the noise.

"Ahh!" there was a scream that came from below.

"Lexie!" Mark roared and set off for the door that lead into the basement with us all trailing behind.

It was dark and when we all finally entered the room, the door behind us slammed closed. We all changed our eyes ready to adjust to the darkness, when suddenly the lights turned on blinding us and when our vision returned, we were stunned by the sight before us.

* * *

Teddy p.o.v

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I swear it was like something from a sci-fi movie or something. There was a huge pod in front of us surrounded by machines, it was similar to the one Terri had been put in, but this one had more machines and more chemicals and blood connected to it.

But what shocked us more, was the sight of Bailey, Thalia, Clio, and Lexie standing in the room, perfectly unharmed.

"What's going on? Are you okay Lexie?" Mark demanded, still panting from the pent up emotions.

"I-I'm fine Mark." She avoided eye contact when she replied and I arched a brow at this.

"Then what was with the call?"

"…" She remained silent.

"Where's Terri?" Arizona's cold voice sliced through the silence, sending shivers down our backs.

"S-she's not here." Lexie stuttered in reply at the unexpected coldness.

"What do you mean? We saw her!"

"That wasn't her." We were shocked into silence, was there another royalty around? Was Erica here?

"Then who was it?" Callie asked.

"Me." A voice came from behind and we turned, prepared to strike, but froze at the sight.

Pure white wings filled our vision, red eyes tinged with white streaks settled their gaze upon us, and the blinding white mark of Athena shone proudly as the figure of Aria Torres appeared from the door.

"Aria…" Callie's whispered voice filled with disbelief reached my ears and I involuntarily dropped to one knee, feeling Mark, Alex and Addie do the same.

"What happened to you Aria?"

"It's the form of the mate, _you_ of all people should know that." Aria responded coolly, and we all recoiled slightly at the harsh tone.

"What's going on?" Arizona demanded.

"A-Ari?" a deep, scratchy voice from behind shocked us, and tears filled Arizona's eyes.

"T-Tim?"

* * *

We hadn't realised that the pod had opened during Aria's arrival and within the pod was Tim. He was sat up, rubbing his eyes wearily as if waking up from a long sleep. Though technically it _was_ a long sleep, 6 months to be exact.

"How are you feeling?" Bailey asked from beside the pod.

"F-fine. Slightly confused, but I'm good." He flexed his arms and hands, moving his head from side to side, and then slowly climbed out of the pod with assistance from Bailey and Lexie. "Everything's working fine, where am I?"

"Seattle" Aria replied as she walked towards him.

"T-Tim? Is that really you?" Arizona asked, still unable to comprehend the presence of her brother. We thought he had died, we _saw_ him die, yet here he was, standing in front of us with barely a scratch on him.

"Yeah…" He looked around the room at all of us before resettling his gaze on Arizona. "Where's Terri?"

"It doesn't matter, you almost died because of her!" Arizona replied angrily.

"Is that what you think?" His voice was filled his sadness and shock.

"It's the truth isn't it? She didn't deny it when we confronted her and when I threatened her with my withdrawal from the court, she didn't even fight me."

"Y-your withdrawal? You didn't? What have you done Arizona?" Tim started to panic, his eyes widened and one of the monitors started to scream, causing Bailey to rush to his side. He waved her off as he tried to calm himself down.

"You died Tim! We all _saw_ you die!" Arizona screamed, voice filled with tears and I felt my heart clench at the obvious pain.

"It was my idea!" He shouted back

"What?" We froze as silence settled in the room.

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

"I came up with the idea shortly after Toby died over _20 years ago_." His voice was low and filled with remorse.

"What are you talking about?" I refused to believe that Tim was the mastermind behind this. I had given up everything and thrown away everything Terri had built. I refused believe that I was wrong for doubting her. _It couldn't be, tell me it's a lie Tim._

"The day Toby died, Styx, Erica fought him, but something was strange about her power. They had fought before and she never stood a chance, but that day, she completely slaughtered him. We needed to find a way into their folds to find out the truth, and any spies we had sent in were detected and killed immediately. I had convinced her to let me in, I had all the right motives, T treated me like shit and I had rebelled before, I've been nothing but a soldier under her rather than a Royal _beside_ her, and she always seemed to favour you over me. All I had to do was the channel all my thoughts to those memories and the hatred and anger built itself, I was the perfect double agent." He explained calmly and I blanched.

"Y-you're lying, why would Terri allow this?" _No, it's all a lie. Terri…_

"She didn't. She refused, she said I was all you had left and she refused to take the risk, she would find another way. But 6 months had passed before we knew it and there _was_ no other way. I forced her into it, using her mother _and_ Toby's death against her, and I even undermined her authority by going straight to the King. He agreed with my argument and forced, no _ordered_ Terri to act; we've been planning since then. It's taken me many years to gain his trust, and he showed it by revealing to me who Mnemosyne was," Calliope gasped at the revelation, and he settled his gaze on her. "He was the one who told me about Lucia being in Miami and I tracked her down, and led her to Seattle where you were."

He switched his gaze to Lucia, "it wasn't a coincidence that you felt my aura in Miami, I had deliberately set it off so you would sense it. I _knew_ you were there, but had pretended not to notice. It was all part of the plan. We needed to bring Callie here to 'kill' you"

"Kill me?" I asked confused.

"Hades' translation of the prophecy was that Iphigenia sacrifices Artemis for power, meaning you'd probably kill Arizona" he directed at Calliope, "and knowing how much you love her, you probably wouldn't be able to live with the guilt and kill yourself, that or Terri would order your death."

"But that's not what the prophecy says." She argued.

"I know, T and I _may _or _may not_ have led him astray slightly." We looked at him bewildered, and he sighed deeply. "We needed him to reveal the location of Mnemosyne in order to free you Ari, but we didn't know the revival would be initiated the moment we met, we'd originally thought we'd have more time to discuss with you."

"So this was all your idea?" I asked as regret and anguish started to build.

"Yes, you've blamed the wrong person." Tears started to build in his eyes as he looked around the room. "God, where's Terri? We need to find her."

"We can't, she's sealed us in this room, we can't get out." Lexie replied.

"What? Why?" His eyes widened as understanding dawned upon him. "… No, no! Terri! She's gone after Hades hasn't she?" Their silence was his answer. "Fuck! We need to stop her!" He shouted frantically as he tried to disconnect himself from the wires, but was held back by Bailey who fixated him with such a fierce glare, he's posture shrunk slightly.

"We can't get out Tim." Lexie insisted adamantly.

"Thalia! Clio! You know the way out don't you? Aria? I bet you do."

"We can't, our Master's final will was to keep you all safe. She has gone to do what we had failed to do the first time around." Clio replied emotionlessly.

"And that is?"

"Save Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite, reunite your family." I stiffened. _Even now, she's still thinking about me. God I'm so sorry Terri._ The tears streamed down my face and gripped onto Calliope's hand tightly as she slipped hers into mine.

"And Hades? He'll kill her!" Tim shouted infuriated.

"She has a way to release them, the war is over for her. The future rests in your hands Princess Artemis." Thalia directed at me. "The King is returning soon, and with his help along with Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite, we _will_ win this war, for the future, for the kingdom, for our Master." We gasped as she revealed that Zeus was to be returning.

"B-but I've already withdrawn from the court."

"No you haven't. Our Master never authorized it, she allowed a temporary leave, but you are still a part of our court." My fists clenched as pain spread from my chest. _God Terri! _I turned around and charged straight for the door, only to be knocked back by a sudden flare of red aura. I looked up to see the door surrounded by symbols and was horrified as recognition hit me. I turned, looking for the source of the power, and saw Aria's cold gaze on me as red and white surrounded her.

"Aria, why are you doing this? Let me out. Are you really going to let her die?" I growled at her.

"You think I _want_ this? I promised her, I wanted to die by her side, but I had promised her that I would stay safe for the sake of Mama and Callie." She sneered. "She said she couldn't ruin any more families; she practically dumped me before heading off to die! But I fucking promised her, I gave her my blood oath and even if it breaks my heart, I will honour that oath, for the sake of Terri..." She trailed off, as she choked on a sob. "So don't look at me like that, none of you have the right, you all abandoned her without a second glance, you have no right to fucking judge me!" Her shoulders shook from the emotions as anger and pain came off her in waves.

"Aria…" Calliope headed over to her sister, but was pushed away.

"Don't touch me. Don't fucking touch me!" She was getting hysterical and Calliope was appalled at her reaction.

"Aria, I'm sorry. W-we didn't know." She tried again.

"That's because you don't fucking know her! You're all so convinced that she's a cold, heartless, selfish monster!" She screamed, "And you, Arizona" she pointed at me, "You're supposed to be her best friend, her family and the _only_ one who knows her better than anyone else in the world. And yet _you_ were the one to lead her family away from her. You took everything away from her after _she_ gave you everything. You've been with her for 20 years, so how is it that _I _understand her better after knowing her for barely 2 years?"

* * *

"Aria, please. Remove the barrier. Let us help Athena." Lucia stated calmly, trying to placate her hysterical daughter.

"Don't give me that bullshit Mama." Calliope inhaled sharply at her attitude. "You're a Seer, and yet you didn't see _this_ coming did you? You're one of Zeus' men and you've gone on and on about the strong bond between you and Poseidon and Zeus. Yet you abandoned his _only_ daughter in her time of need. I'm ashamed to call you my Mama." She was practically hyperventilating at this point and Lexie went to her side, rubbing her back soothingly.

The anguish and despair I felt was soul consuming and I gathered my energy, prepared to break through the barrier forcefully. However, my aura was supressed by the most unexpected person.

"A-Alex… What?" I was stunned by the turn of events and Teddy and Mark moved forward, ready to strike. "No, don't."

"I'm sorry boss." His voice was full of sorrow.

"How are you doing this?" I was astonished as I could no longer feel Artemis' response, I couldn't summon _any_ energy. He looked away ashamed and I stormed up to his and pulled away his shirt to reveal another mark on top of the one I had given him. "The mark of the Crown… When?" Lucia snapped her head to Alex, eyes filled with disbelief.

"It's only temporary, until this is all over. I couldn't let you die Arizona," his use of my name took me off guard. He had never called me that; it was always 'Robbins' or 'boss'. "I promised to protect you and I will do that, even if it makes you hate me."

"When Alex?"

"… 2 months ago, Clio found me after one of my shifts and bought me to Terri."

"Why?"

"They wanted me to keep an eye on you. To keep you safe and to tell them if any vampires bothered you, if they bothered any of _us._"

I closed my eyes tightly as my body shook from the emotions swirling inside.

"They were the one to teach you about the mental blocks weren't they?" Teddy asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, Lexie _did_ teach me, but under Terri's orders."

"So you're working for her now?" Addison accused.

"I'm using the extra powers to keep Arizona from leaving this room. That is my mission, my _only_ mission."

* * *

Callie p.o.v

The tension in the room was palpable. There were so many emotions floating around the room: Arizona's pain and despair, Tim's anger and distraught, Teddy's guilt, my mother's shame and sorrow, Aria's anguish, and it was killing me.

"Tell me, Clio, Thalia, has Athena's wrath finally returned?" My mother's question was unexpected and we stared at her in question.

"…"

"What are you talking about Mama?" I asked.

"The thing we have always feared has finally happened. Athena's memories have returned." She replied cryptically.

_I really hate how they're always so cryptic, is it really so hard to give a straight answer? _

I sighed in frustration and asked in place of Arizona who seemed to be frozen and lost in her conflicting emotions. "What memories?"

"The memories of Dionysus and… her death."

"Her death! What are you talking about? And what does Toby have to do with this?" Tim demanded, shocked.

"The day Dionysus died, I was summoned before the King and tasked with removing certain memories from your minds."

"_Our_ minds?" Arizona snapped her head to her, outraged that my mother had not removed one, but _two_ sets of memories from her.

_Dammit Mama, she had only _just_ forgiven you for the first incident._

"Yes, Athena, Artemis and yourself, Apollo."

"W-which memories?" I was afraid of the answer and how it would affect Arizona.

"From your minds, I took away the death of Athena, and the death of Dionysus, replacing them with a different scenario and from Athena… I took away her darkness."

"What do you mean by that?" Aria asked, evidently calmer than before.

"What do you remember from that day Apollo, Artemis?"

"We were together, Ari and I, training in the forests and when we were returning, we saw Terri and Toby with Styx. But by that time Styx had already attacked Toby and killed him." Tim answered hesitantly as he tried to recall the memories.

"What do you remember happened next?"

"…I …We … I can't remember." Tim looked at Arizona who shook her head, signalling that she too couldn't remember.

"It's because _that_ is part of the memory I had placed within you. The truth is, Athena died that day, and we revived her."

"Y-you revived her?" I stuttered; amazed at the thought that she had brought Terri back from the dead.

"Yes, it took the combined efforts of the King, Lady Theia, Lord Helios, Elder Richard and Elder Lewis, by transferring their powers into Athena, they were able to revive her. But we had to remove her memories of that day in order for her to survive."

"But why through all that effort to revive Terri and not Toby?" Tim asked, knowing that Toby's death was the root of all Terri's anger and hatred and the start of her change in personality.

"Because, she is the only legitimate heir to the throne." My mother answered sorrowfully.

* * *

"W-what, but Toby?" Arizona spluttered.

"Dionysus is _not_ the blood heir to the throne, and he is _not_ the son of Zeus, he is the son of Hades." My mother stated firmly.

"I-impossible!" Tim protested.

"It's the truth, Athena, Dionysus, Styx and Pallas are all half siblings."

"All of them?!" I asked in astonishment. _Holy hell, talk about family drama._

"Yes, Helena, Athena's mother, was originally a consort of Hades whilst he was still with the court, she had left with him during the rebellion and 38 years ago she gave birth to Styx. Unfortunately, Zeus had always been in love with Helena and Helena with Zeus; Hades had originally claimed her to spite him and she had been trying for many years to escape. 2 years after the birth of Styx, she managed to escape, but by the time we found her, she was heavily pregnant with twins and Hades practically raised hell in order to find her and claim her unborn sons. He needed a male heir for when he took the throne and was desperate to hurt Zeus, but not only claiming the throne, but the woman he loved as well.

Hades found us on the day Helena went into labour and during the battle, the twins were born, however they were separated almost immediately as Hades laid claim to one, who would later be known as 'Pallas', or 'Trevor Hahn'…"

"And the other was Toby?" Tim finished her sentence and she nodded.

"Yes, 'Dionysus' better known as 'Tobias Ryans'. Zeus raised him as his own and taught him how to be a man, how to be a vampire and how to treat people with respect, but unfortunately the blood of Hades' ran thick and Dionysus soon turned on his family.

The day Styx arrived; it was not to kill Dionysus, but instead to kill Athena. They knew that she was the only rightful heir to the throne and had planned to kill her. Dionysus' attack was blocked by Helena, who had used her own body to shield the Princess, and in return, Athena killed Dionysus in a fit of rage."

"That's impossible, we _saw_ Erica kill Toby. And Terri hates her mother. She has always said that her mother was a lying, cheating, whore who worked for Hades." Arizona was determined to refute my mother's revelation. Toby meant a lot to Tim and her too, and they refused to believe that he was part of Hades' plan.

"It was planted. Helena's last wish before her death was to erase the truth of her brother's betrayal. She would rather Athena hate her than her beloved brother." There was pain in my mother's eyes as she recalled the last wish of Terri's mother, and I felt my heart clench at the sacrifice her mother had made for her.

"But why? If her mother loved her so much, then why would she want Terri to hate her instead?" Addison asked curiously. All we had been told of so far, by Terri, was that she thought of her mother as a 'cheating, frivolous harlot', so to be suddenly told that her mother was a loving woman who sacrificed her life for her daughter was perplexing.

"Because Athena loved her brother too much. She idolised him and did everything in her power to make him proud of her, she wanted him to notice her and she thought the world of him. And for her to find out that it had all been a lie, a plot in order to gain her trust to kill her, how much would it destroy her?"

"I still don't get it, why erase our memories too?" Tim sighed in defeat, still unable to accept the truth.

"Because Athena died that day, after killing Dionysus, Styx took the advantage and attacked her. She was only 8 for god's sake, and her rage and bloodline had only enhanced her power enough to catch Dionysus off guard and fatally injure him. She had no control over the power and Styx knew that, she knew it and took advantage of it. Athena died and Zeus was left without an heir, it couldn't be known, so the Elders were all summoned and the order was placed to erase everyone's memory.

We had yours erased so you couldn't remind her of her death and her brother's betrayal, we couldn't afford to have her clouded by darkness, rage and betrayal, so we gave her a different life. One where she could still pursue Hades, but would not be traumatised by her brother's betrayal and subsequent death. We changed the order of things and made up lies, Athena had never been raised by her mother so there wasn't much of an emotional attachment and it was easy to convince her subconscious that she wasn't a decent person. Her mother loved her enough to allow her to retain her hatred towards Hades, but remove the betrayal and despair it came with."

"And what of what we had felt during Erica's appearance? The very thing that had started this entire plan, that aura, was that a lie too?" Arizona accused and narrowed her eyes at my mother.

"No, we changed the order of events. We had switched what Terri felt, the betrayal and pain from her brother to her mother and the despair and dismay at the loss of her mother onto her brother, but what you felt was real. That is why we allowed this to continue."

* * *

"So you _knew_ of our plan?" I exclaimed outrageously.

"We knew of _a_ plan, but we didn't know what it was. It wasn't until I entered this room that it all made sense." My mother defended, hurt that I would suspect her, but her role was still a mystery, so you couldn't blame me for thinking like that.

"Okay, so why are you all afraid of Terri gaining her memories back? Isn't it a good thing, I mean, she'll have more of a motive to go against Hades right?" Addie summed up the information and asked simply.

My mother sighed at her naivety. "Unfortunately that is not how it works. Athena, for all her wisdom and intelligence, is a very emotional creature, even if she doesn't show it all the time. If she's going after him alone, then it means that it has nothing to do with the Crown, or the throne or even the future of the empire. It's personal and she'll be too guided by her hurt, her pain, her anger and her despair to think clearly, she will not be at her best and will not be able to confront Hades in her current condition."

"So she's going to die?" Teddy asked, voice strained with emotions and tears. I looked to Aria and Lexie to see that they had already known what the outcome of today would be.

"She's going in prepared to go all out, without a care for any repercussions, and unfortunately, she does not have to ability to reach her full potential yet."

"Why?" I complained. I couldn't bear to see my sister so distraught, it wasn't fair to her. She had finally found someone she loved and loved her in return, yet she was going to lose her. It just wasn't fair.

"Because she was never officially crowned. She is recognised as the Crown because she is Zeus' only remaining child, but it was never made official. At first it was due to the mourning of her brother, and then her own training to take over the position, then Zeus' disappearance and so many things happened, that we've never had time to make it official. And that means that whilst she has the blood of the King running through her veins, she is unable to access the full potential until she is crowned."

"But isn't it her birth right?" I asked, confused.

"Yes and no. She has the capability to reach and unlock the form, but she cannot access the full power of the Crown, and against an aged and experience vampire Elder such as Hades, not to mention that he is the biological brother of the King, she _needs_ that power."

"So you're saying she has no chance?" Addie's voice was incredulous.

"I… I don't know. When did she regain the memories?" My mother seemed as perplexed as we were, and it was odd to see her so uncertain.

"6 months ago… After her fight with Styx and Apollo, when she was placed into the tank, she said she spoke to Athena and she revealed the truth." Thalia answered.

"A-Athena revealed?"

"Her avatar retained all of her memories, and considering that she was always going to go after Hades alone to release Poseidon and Aphrodite, she gave her an incentive. The rage and despair will provide her with a longer and more powerful distraction in order for the team to rescue them." Bailey was the one to answer this time around.

"There's a team?" I asked hopefully. _If there's a team, then there's a chance right?_ I glanced towards Arizona, then Tim and finally Aria. _There has to be._

"A team formed of Elder Webber and Elder Lewis, their responsibility is to get in and get them out. No distractions, no detours, and definitely no going back for her. She has her affairs in order already, so there is no need for any last words." Bailey replied, voice strained. We were shocked to see such pain and anguish reflected in the normally stoic and stern woman's eyes.

_How many people have you helped, Terri, how many people have been moved by your actions? You're an unsung hero of sorts aren't you? God, you can't die Terri, we need you, _Aria_ needs you._

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

"W-what do you mean by that?" I asked, horrified that Terri had planned for her death already.

There was no answer as Bailey simply handed a sealed letter to me. I recognised Terri's distinctive writing on the front where _'Artemis Arizona Robbins'_ was written; and turned to letter over to find Terri's unique mark sealed on the back.

Opening the letter, I read through it and horror raced through my body as tears poured from my eyes. I sunk to my knees and felt Calliope drop along with me, holding tightly onto me. She picked up the letter and began to read out loud.

"I have no excuses nor do I expect forgiveness, I only hope that you will fulfil my last request of you my best friend, my cousin, my sister, my final hope Arizona Robbins. You are the future of our kingdom and I am honoured to have fought by your side these last twenty years.

'As the Crown Princess, daughter of King Zeus Nathaniel Ryans, I, Athena Teresa Ryans, hereby decree that in the event of my death, the Crown will be passed on to Artemis Arizona Robbins. As witnessed by Elder Richard Webber, Elder Elizabeth Lewis, and the guardians Lady Clio and Lady Thalia, High Advisors to the Crown, I have decreed this of my own free will under no external influences.

As second, I declare that Calliope Iphigenia Torres be officially recognised as the Bride of the Crown, their marriage will be recognised the moment the Crown is received, as authorized by my Lord, King Zeus Nathaniel and Elder Mnemosyne Lucia Torres.

As third, I declare that Lady Thalia be betrothed to Prince Apollo Timothy Robbins, eldest son of Lord Poseidon Daniel Robbins and Lady Aphrodite Barbara Robbins, as authorized by his royal highness, Lord Poseidon Daniel Robbins and Elder Mnemosyne Lucia Torres.

And my final wish is that I be buried alongside my mother, whom had sacrificed herself for such a noble cause and gained no recognition of her sacrifice. I wish for it to be known that Dionysus was a traitor and Helena Ryans was a hero and should be remembered as such. I wish for the slurs of 'harlot', 'whore' and such to be removed from all thoughts and conversations when referring to her and that all traces of Dionysus' memorials be removed from our empire. Our people do not need a reminder of such a traitorous creature.

May our kingdom find the peace and tranquillity it has been in search of for many years and prosper under the guidance of my Lord, King Zeus and the Crown Princess, Artemis.

My final signing,

Crown Princess Athena Teresa Ryans."

* * *

"You knew of this Mama?" Calliope asked her mother, as silence fell upon the room, tears streaming down everyone's faces.

"I did not, but Athena had asked me a little while after we arrived in Miami. I had never thought to question her sudden request, but I was happy that she was recognising your position in Arizona's life, and I was happy that Thalia could finally find the happiness that she deserved."

All further thoughts were disrupted as Aria and Lexie let out a horrific cry of pain and dropped to their knees.

"Aria!" Calliope and Lucia exclaimed and they rushed to her side immediately. Her aura began to pulse as the mark on her chest and her eyes began to brighten.

Lexie fell next to her, panting from the pain as Mark rushed to her side. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Bailey's jaw clenched and her eyes closed. "It's begun."

"What has?"

"What they're feeling, is the pain of their sire, their master." We froze at the realization, and stared at Aria and Lexie in horror.

"No, no it can't be." I looked at Thalia and Clio who seemed unaffected, other than the look of pure despair written over their faces, but before I could question, Clio spoke up.

"We're Athena's guardians, but we were sired by Zeus. We are linked to her by will, so we do not feel the same sensations as those sired by her, and we do not feel the heart stopping pain her mate would feel."

My blood froze as Aria's wings and her transformation disappeared, the pressure of the room increased suddenly as Lexie collapsed into Mark's arms and Aria threw her head back, face scrunched in pain and let out a heart-breaking scream.

"TERRI!"

_No…_

* * *

A.N: Heads up, the next 2 or so chapter may be slightly more Terri centric, but never fear, our main couple will be present!


	23. Chapter 23: Athena's Goodbyes

A.N: I can't even begin to explain how happy I am that there are so many 'Terri' supporters out there. It makes me so glad that I wrote a new and original character, and I'm so excited to write more about her history and background! This chapter made me so sad! I couldn't bear re-reading this anymore, so I sent it to my beta so she could share my sadness! She's awesome like that =D

**P.S** I am _beyond_ amused that _no one_ has commented on the fact that Terri's brother Toby is actually Hades' son and thus Erica's brother!

**To austinza:** All the way from Cape Town! Wooo, welcome! And I know, I messed up by forgetting to explain it properly or include it in the chapter, but that will be amended in later chapters, thanks for the reminder! You rock =]. As a hint: it has to do with the mark Teddy has and the fact that they all left Terri, thereby breaking their bond. (I said hint, but I just straight out said it… I'm not that great at being sneaky =P)

**To JC.13.05: **Wow! Thanks, I'm glad you like Terri, I wasn't sure how my original character would be accepted, especially considering she's such a big part of the story along with Callie and Arizona.

**To victoria23: **Thanks for the support! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

**To ShuFly:** Terria! I love it! I'm super excited that you're such a big Terri fan, makes me glad that I included a new and original character!

**To addictedgeek:** I know! Sandra can't leave! Especially considering that Ellen and Patrick might be leaving too! Oh gosh, I think I might die if I ever got to see this story animated or anything. The sfx and the vampire forms that I'm picturing in my head are awesome!

**To Jessica Torres-Robbins:** ack! Such an avid Terri supporter, I love it! I do hope that you make it out of this chapter all right, it's a sad one =[

**To AZsgirl:** Well, Terri has already been reborn once, literally. Tim and Arizona were injured, but still alive so they were rescued (plus AZs was a prophesized rebirth and she wasn't really all that bad injured, unlike Tim), whereas Terri actually died when she was younger after her brother died… Does she deserve another resurrection? Hmmmm… =P

**To willlaw: **Thanks for reading! I can guarantee that Lauren will _not_ be making an appearance; I dislike the character! Not cool that Arizona cheated with her, totally not cool. And _if_ she does make an appearance, it may just be as another one from the dark that gets killed =P Erica makes sense though, especially since they're all supposed to be related, I mean the blonde hair and blue-ish eyes does make it plausible for her to be related to Arizona and Tim.

**2damnpretty2die** deserves an award! The Captain has been doing an awesome job for this story, many thanks and love!

* * *

Chapter 23: Athena's Goodbyes

General p.o.v

_Six months ago_

_"Lexie, there's something I need you to do for me." She suddenly asked and Lexie stood to attention._

_"Anything, my Lord." She replied instantly, drawing a smile from the both of us._

_"Not now, but when Tim finally wakes up, there's something I need you to do." Lexie tilted her head curiously, but nodded anyway._

"We're going to return to Seattle soon, and when we're there I'll need you to lure Arizona and the rest of the group into the basement back at the warehouse where we'll keep Tim."

"Can I ask why?" Lexie asked, drawing a chuckle from Terri.

"Of course you can, I expect nothing less from you." Lexie smiled sheepishly, "The day Tim wakes up will be the day the Robbins family are reunited." Terri explained.

"What?" Lexie and Aria gasped.

"But how? You have no team, how are you going to manage… no… Terri, you can't!" Aria protested.

"Aria-" Terri began, but was cut off.

"No! You're going in alone aren't you? Are you _trying _to kill yourself?"

"_Aria,_ it _will_ be done." Terri replied firmly.

"But-"

"Look, I owe it to her. She's done a lot for me already, and Tim has literally given his life for the sake of the mission."

"No, Tim gave his life for Arizona, and Arizona hasn't done _anything_ for you. She left you when you needed her the most!" Aria replied angrily.

"At least let me go with you!"

"I can't. I love that you're willing to follow me to the ends of the world, but I can't break up any more families. Lucia and Calliope need you."

"And I need _you_!"

Silence fell upon the room as Terri and Aria stared at each other, both unwilling to back down.

"Is there no other way?" Lexie bravely intervened.

"I'm afraid not. I will confront Hades and Richard and Elizabeth will be responsible for retrieving the Robbins'"

Thalia and Clio walked over from where they were situated on the other side of the room and called for Terri's attention.

"Is everything ready?" Terri asked.

"Yes my Lord." Clio replied.

"How long do we need to wait?"

"Elder Richard suggests a month at least, so Apollo can become strong enough to withstand the long journey." Thalia replied.

"Okay, so we move in a month. Take the time to rest up; I'll need you to protect the Bride and Lexie when the time comes." They nodded in understanding.

"What do we do until then?" Lexie asked.

"There's something Aria and I need to do." Aria perked up at the mention of her name.

"What's that?"

"We're going to unlock one of the perks of being my mate" Terri grinned widely as Aria watched on in confusion.

* * *

Aria p.o.v

Terri led me into a sealed room a few doors down from where Tim was, and when we walked in I noticed that the floor was covered with padded mats and there were weapons adorning the walls.

"Where are we?" I asked

"My training room." Terri replied happily

"And we're here because?"

"I told you, to unlock the perks of being my mate."

"Yes, you've said that already, but it doesn't explain anything."

"Well you've seen my true form right?" I nodded. "Well you get to have something like that too. Calliope has already unlocked hers along with Arizona. So we're here to find yours."

"How do we do that?"

She sat down on the floor with her legs crossed and patted the space in front of her. "Sit down and trust me."

I complied and sat down facing her, "Now what?"

Her eyes changed as the Jupiter symbol appeared on her forehead; her aura started pulsing as a glowing red circle surrounded us filled with symbols.

"Just close your eyes and relax."

I closed my eyes and let my senses take over my body, opening myself up to everything around me. I felt a sudden rush of cold air hit me and when I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the dark training room, but in an open field that was dark with lightening roaring across the skies every now and again.

"Sorry about the view; it wasn't always like this, but this is how it is now unfortunately." Terri's voice appeared beside me and I turned to see her standing a few feet away from me. _How did I not notice her?_

"What do you mean?" Her expression darkened slightly.

"I died 20 years ago." I gasped.

"W-what?"

"When Styx attacked us, I was killed. She wasn't sent to kill Toby, he was already working for their side, she was sent to meet up with him and kill me." I stared at her stunned as she explained what really happened 20 years ago.

"So Zeus, Theia, Helios, Richard and Elizabeth combined their powers and revived you?" I asked, bewildered by the thought.

"Yup, pretty awesome huh?"

"And Toby is really Hades' son and he betrayed you?"

"Yup"

"And then my mother wiped your memory of your death?"

"Correct again"

"But then you regained the memory because Athena never forgot?"

"Uh huh" She replied nonchalantly. _Holy crap, this is getting weirder and weirder._

* * *

"So how is that relevant to this?" I gestured to the area around us.

"My world used to be full of light and joy, something that was reflected in here. So it used to be green fields with birds and butterflies and the whole magical fairy tale world and all that business, but after I died, I guess Athena held onto the aura of Hades that came off of Styx, because the next time I accessed this world, I was presented with… this."

"Hades?"

"Yeah, and it gets worse. I used to see him in my dreams. No, that's not correct, it's more like my subconscious mind would filter into his and I would see _his_ world."

"His 'inner' world?" I asked curiously.

"Both his 'inner' world and what he saw when he was awake." I gasped in shock.

"W-what? How?" I was amazed by her revelation.

"I don't know, my father says it's probably something I picked up from Theia when her powers transferred to me. You know that she's the greatest and strongest Seer known to our world, with the ability to peer into anyone's minds and alter their thoughts; I must have picked up that ability, but more specifically I was able to lock onto Hades' thoughts."

"Hades' thoughts?"

"Yeah, I wasn't aware of it at first, because I couldn't remember much of it. But whenever I would meditate or sleep; my subconscious self would drift into Hades' subconscious. I think I talked to him and possibly fought him, but he could never touch me because I was never _really_ there. Eventually, I began to be able to project into a form that was only visible to him during his waking day and followed him around."

"But didn't he recognise you? Surely he must've known it was you?"

"Not exactly, the 'me' that was in his mind wasn't the 'real me' if that makes sense? I was present in his mind in another form, I had white hair and golden eyes, and to be honest, he's never _really_ seen what I look like. He's never actually met me, not until I was 18 and attacked Pallas anyway."

"So he had no idea who you were and still had conversations with you?" I asked mystified.

"Yeah, I think he thought it was a blessing or something. Like a sign or a gift sent from the Gods to guide him to the throne." She chuckled at the idea, "so he spoke to me a lot."

"Seriously?" I deadpanned.

"Oh yeah, he was really respectful towards me and asked confided a lot of his hidden feelings to me. It was really overwhelming at first."

"But hasn't Erica met you? Wouldn't she have told him?"

"Yeah, but like I said, he was the only one able to see me. And he never once spoke out loud about me or to me. It was always through mental conversations or face to face in his 'inner' world."

"So why did you lock on to him specifically?"

"I don't know. I'm assuming it was because it was his dark aura that ended my life and Athena held onto it. So when I was revived, even though I didn't remember the events of my death, I remembered this aura and I guess I followed it? I'm not too sure, I've never really asked." She shrugged.

"But I thought your father knew?"

"Not exactly I just asked him why I kept entering other people's minds involuntarily, I never specified whose mind I frequently 'visited', and then he sent me to train with Theia for a little while to control the powers."

"Can you control the power?" I asked with great interest.

"Oh yeah, it's how I convinced Hades' that the prophecy meant that Iphigenia was going to kill Artemis for power, and then the guilt would cause her to kill herself. It provoked him to reveal the location of Mnemosyne to Tim and then allow us to bring Callie and Arizona together again."

"So why can't you convince Hade's to give up the war?" I couldn't fathom the idea of Terri actually swaying him and winning the war so easily, but wouldn't it be so much easier?

"I tried, but his will is really strong, I could only attempt to lead him in a different direction. It's one of the reasons why it's been so long since Hades has actually made any movements. But I couldn't go to him any longer after Pallas died, because he'd recognise my aura and me the moment he saw me in his world. So that plan went to hell, I guess it was poor planning on my behalf." She scratched the side of her head and smiled sheepishly at me.

* * *

"Okay, so why are we here?" I returned to the original topic and she straightened up immediately.

"Oh yeah." She then turned towards the field, "Athena! Are you here?" she shouted.

"You rang?" a low, husky and really creepy voice from behind made me jump. I turned around and was confronted with a figure that was hidden by the shadows and a sudden crash of lightning lit up the area making me scream in shock. The figure started to chuckle and Terri broke into uncontrollable laughter as I glared at her.

"Terri!" I whined. She was practically rolling on the floor by now and I pouted, though on the inside I was smiling at her. I had never seen her so carefree and had never heard her laugh so freely and hard, it was another new side that I had gotten to know, and it warmed my heart knowing that no one else got to see this side of her.

"Oh…my…God!" she choked out between laughs, lifting a hand to wipe away the tears that had escaped. "That was hilarious!"

"I'm glad you find my misery so amusing" I deadpanned.

The still chuckling figure emerged from the shadows, revealing her pure white wings and long white hair with red streaks running through that reached her waist, her eyes were pure white with golden sparks swirling around and the golden Jupiter symbol was on her forehead.

_So this is Athena…_

"And you!" I pointed to Athena, "What was that about? The sudden appearance and the creepy voice?"

"I don't get many visitors, so I thought I'd make a memorable impression?" She stated so seriously I thought she was being honest, until I saw the twinkling in her eye and I spluttered indignantly as Terri broke down into another fit of laughter.

"Guys! Come on!" I moaned, "Can we be serious now?"

Terri was still on the floor, panting as giggles still shook her body. Athena sighed dramatically and held her hand to Terri to take, pulling her back up to her feet.

"So why are we here then?" I asked impatiently.

"I wanted you and Athena to finally meet face to face. She's been waiting a long time to meet you." I eyed Athena suspiciously.

"I've been wanting to meet you since Terri came to me and lost against me three times in a row. She was so distracted and frustrated it was starting to annoy me, so we talked about what was bugging her and she told me about you. I wanted to meet the person who could fluster the cool and calm Teresa Ryans." She explained and I smirked slyly at Terri who now had a blush across her cheeks.

"Shut up!" Terri huffed in mock annoyance.

I found their interaction amusing and kind of cute, they were close, almost like siblings, teasing each other and so playful. I guess in a way they _were_ like twins.

"Question! Why does Athena's form look different to yours Terri?" I asked, it had been bugging me since I really saw Athena.

"Ah, that… It's because I'm not officially crowned yet, so I can only access part of the power. I'm recognised as the Crown because of my position as Zeus' only daughter, but too many things got in the way, so it was never made official." Terri explained.

"And until it is, she will never get to reach this awesome form." Athena finished teasingly.

I watched on in wonder as Terri shoved Athena playfully and was pushed back in return. _This is too much. _I burst in laughter and they stared at me as if I had lost my mind.

"Sorry, but you two are too cute." I confessed and they both huffed in annoyance and pouted. "See! Right there! Too cute!"

"Right, anyway, so this is Athena." Terri swiftly changed topics and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"It's an honor to finally meet you Ariadne Torres."

"Right back at ya Athena." I threw her a wink, "so what happens next? How do I get the form of the mate?"

"There's nothing you need to do. I've seen the way you interact with Terri, your willingness to trust in her without a doubt, your unwavering belief in her and your determination to follow her, even in death. I recognise and accept you as the Bride." Athena answered and walked up to me, placing a hand on my cheek as she leaned in. I inhaled sharply as I felt her lips upon mine and I was suddenly engulfed in a bright light as warmth filled my entire being.

The light faded and I opened my eyes to see both Terri and Athena smiling at me warmly. The world around me shifted as we were transported into another room that was surrounded by mirrors. I was stunned as I saw my reflection; I was now in possession of white wings and my eyes were bright red with white and golden sparks.

"I hope that you'll use the form well and protect my dear Terri." Athena's voice was filled with love and I nodded with a smile.

"I promise." The world around me shifted again and I closed my eyes as I was overcome with nausea. When I reopened them, I was back in the dark training room with Terri's vivid white eyes staring back at me.

"You like the new form?" She asked with a smile.

"I love it!" I replied with a wide grin.

_And I love you…_

* * *

_Six months later._

"Don't do this Terri!" I cried, hot tears pouring down my cheeks. We had returned to Seattle 5 months ago where Hades' had relocated back to the manor he had here.

"Aria, you knew this would happen. So _please _just let me go." Terri replied sadly. I held onto her arm tightly, refusing to let her leave me.

She looked sorrowfully at Thalia and Clio and gave them a gentle smile.

"It's been an honor fighting with you two. Promise me you'll serve Arizona as well as you have me, promise me that you'll protect her and love her as much as you do me."

"The honor is ours Princess." Clio replied huskily, fiercely fighting back her own tears.

"We give you our blood oath that we will treat Artemis as we have you. Though there will _never_ be another master as great or kind or loving as you." Thalia replied shakily; the usually stoic vampire had tears building in her eyes and her fists her clenched tightly.

"Give this to Arizona for me?" Terri held out a sealed golden envelope and Clio took it with shaking hands. "Thanks." She smiled at her softly, before turning her attention to Bailey.

"Bailey; thanks for everything you've done for me. I'm sorry I've never had the chance to thank you properly. Perhaps in another life, if I'm given the honor of meeting you again, I swear I'll do anything to repay you."

"There's nothing to thank or repay. I was doing my job." Bailey choked out through her tears. "I'm sorry it had to end this way. It has been an absolute honor to serve under you, and I promise I'll make sure our people know of your sacrifice."

Terri let out a strained chuckle, "you don't have to do that Miranda. I'm not doing this for recognition. I owe it to Tim, to Arizona, and to Poseidon and Aphrodite. They were captured because of their refusal to betray my father; _they_ are the true heroes, not me. I would rather the people not remember me, I was useless as the Crown. All I've done is take what other people have given me; I haven't done anything for them. I owe the world too much and I will never get the chance to make my amends. I'm a coward."

Bailey dropped to one knee and bowed her head deeply. "You are anything but a coward, and I will personally punish anyone who dares to suggest that." Terri smiled before pulling her to her feet and was shocked as Bailey pulled her into a strong embrace. "Don't you _dare_ give up without a fight." She warned.

"I give you my blood oath." Terri tightened her arms around the petite woman. "_Thank you Miranda._" She whispered into her ear.

"Lexie, thanks for standing by my side when the world was ready to turn their back on me. You're an amazing woman, and I'm sorry I've left you with such a task."

"I promised to help you and I will stand by that until the end." She replied with fierce determination and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"One last request?"

"Anything"

"Don't give up on Mark. Don't blame him either, he chose to stand by his best friend and that kind of loyalty is rare. He's a good man and you deserve to be happy." Lexie could no longer hold back as a cry tore from her lips.

"Oh God! I'm sorry Terri." She was pulled into an embrace as Terri stroked the back of her head tenderly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. It's been a pleasure to work with you Lexie Grey. You're a hell of a woman and Mark is so lucky to have you." They stood there for a brief moment, Lexie crying into Terri's shoulder and Terri stroking her head gently.

Lexie finally withdrew and stumbled over to Clio who held her tightly as Terri turned her attention back to me once again, opening her arms in invitation.

"Come here." She whispered softly and I crashed into her body, sobs tearing through my body as I held on tightly. "Be brave, and think of me every once in a while?"

"I'll _never_ forget you." I promised.

She gave me one last squeeze before pulling back and straightening herself. With one last glance around the room at her family, she turned towards the door.

"Terri!" I screamed.

"Don't Aria." She warned.

"Take me with you, I'm begging you. I can help you!" I pleaded.

"I can't Aria. I need you to be safe, you promised."

"I can't just let you walk out of here to your death! I don't care about anything other than you. I can't lose you Terri!"

"You gave me your blood oath; you can't go back on that. I'm not destroying any more families, so please. _I'm_ begging _you_." Her voice was strained as she tried to push away her emotions. "Please Lexie, hold her back."

"T-Terri…" she stuttered, choking on her tears.

"_Please._" Lexie reluctantly stepped forward and grabbed onto my arms, pulling me back.

"No! Let go of me!" I struggled against Lexie's hold, but failed to escape. "If you walk out that door, we're done! Do you hear me? We're over!" It was an empty threat, and she knew it.

"If I'm dead, we're done anyway." I gasped at her harsh response and she sighed before walking up to me, cradling my face gently, and pulling me into a kiss.

"I love you Aria." I froze at the words I had longed to hear. "So _please_ stay safe." I slumped into Lexie's arms, defeated and distraught.

"I love you too." She gave me one last kiss to the forehead and walked out the room. I watched her retreating back as the tears blurred my vision.

_Come back to me… Please…_

* * *

Terri p.o.v

My heart ached as I left Aria, her anguished cries echoing in my head. _I love you Aria, and I'm sorry I never got to tell you that more often._

"Are you okay?" Richard's voice drifted in from the right. I sobered immediately and refocused my attention to the manor in front of us.

"I'm fine." I replied and he looked at me unconvinced. "I swear Richard, I'm fine." He relented and nodded.

"Has Poseidon and Aphrodite received the signal?" Elizabeth asked from my left.

"I'd sent them the signal last night, so everything should be in place now."

"So this is where we part?" She asked sadly.

"Richard, it's been an honor to fight with you. Thank you for teaching me about medicine, thank you for keeping an eye on me and for saving me all those times, and thank you for coming with me for this final mission."

"The honor is mine Princess. Your memory will live on in this world, I swear." He replied solemnly.

"Promise you'll protect Poseidon and Aphrodite?"

"With my life."

"And Artemis?"

"With my soul. I will not let her throw away everything you've fought for, I give you my blood oath." He stated resolutely and I nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Elizabeth, there are no words to express my gratitude and gratefulness to you. You've practically raised me and have supported my every decision. You were to one I went to for advice, to one I went to for warmth, and the one I sought out when I was angry with my father. Without your guidance, I wouldn't be who I am today, so thank you."

"It was my pleasure to know that I was so useful to you, it's the greatest honor one can be given, knowing that I was the one you sought first."

"Promise me you'll never leave my father's side. Promise me that you'll continue to support him and that you'll continue to love him the way my mother never had the chance to. Promise me you'll help Artemis become the heir I was never able to and promise me you'll never give up on her."

"On my honor and pride, I give you my blood oath." She bowed her head and raised her right hand over her heart.

"Tell my father… That despite everything that's ever happened… Tell him he was a great father and I love him… Tell him I'm sorry I can't serve him any longer and that will be my greatest regret." The tears were building and my throat was constricting, I hated saying goodbyes, but these people were the ones to stand by me. They deserved to have the closure.

Richard and Elizabeth both dropped down to one knee and bowed their heads so deeply it almost touched the ground.

"Fide et fortitude!" I stated firmly.

"Fide et fortitude!" They replied and flickered out of sight.

_The future lies in your hands now Ari… _

* * *

I shimmered towards Hades' throne room, getting there with no problems with the use of my speed and aura suppression.

I found the room void of anyone other than Hades and Styx and smirked at my stroke of luck. I entered the room quickly and slammed the doors closed, sealing them shut with a blood barrier and turned to confront the two.

"_Athena!_" Styx sneered at me, whilst Hades watched on in interest. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I have unfinished business with Hades and I would prefer it if you stayed out of the way." I replied and she laughed at the suggestion.

"Why the hell would I do that? You killed my brother and I still haven't settled that yet!"

"Oh, that's funny, but isn't it technically _your_ fault?" I taunted and she growled before launching herself at me.

I had anticipated her attack and dodged easily, striking her back and knocking her to the ground. She flickered out of sight and reappeared behind me, growling as she began her transformation. I quickly flickered in front of her and grabbed her head, placing my forehead onto hers as my eyes turned gold. I revealed the memories of Toby and Trevor's birth, the truth behind our mother, Hades' ruthless order to allow me to kill Pallas, and his true feelings towards her.

I felt claws around the back of my neck as I was pulled away from Erica and thrown across the room. She dropped to the ground, eyes clouded, as she was lost in the visions and memories.

"What did you do to her?" Hades demanded, seeing that Erica was no longer responsive.

I struggled to my feet and smirked at him, "that's for me to know and you to find out."

He roared out in anger and began to transform. The pressure dropped as dark energy surrounded him; I shivered at the coldness of his aura, but responded in kind as I felt Athena's power overcome my body.

His speed was incredible as he disappeared and I was thrown into the air, hit by a strong bolt of energy in the back and launched back to the ground mercilessly by another ball of energy, all before I could blink. In the back of my mind, I could hear the echoes of Lexie and Aria's cry of pain, but pushed the feeling aside to focus on Hades. I focused on Hades and the pain and suffering he had caused me.

I growled at him menacingly, the memories of my mother's death and brother's betrayal fuelling my anger and clouding my thoughts as adrenaline rushed through my veins.

I barely managed to flicker away from my position on the floor before Hades' blade landed where my head once was. My wings straightened as I became airborne, and I summoned my blade, just barely managing to lift it up as his blade struck mine. Energy exploded around us and I gritted my teeth forcing Hades back before launching a bolt of lightning from my left hand. He retreated swiftly and I felt my right hand shaking from the effort of holding against him.

_Shit…_

I failed to notice the syringe in his hand as he injected himself in the neck and before I knew it, he was behind me, sword slashing downwards in a diagonal motion and slicing into my back.

I growled at the pain and watched as he recoiled as my blood hit his skin, burning him in the process. I smirked slightly before taking up my stance again.

His red eyes became brighter at the sight of my blood and he inhaled deeply. "Ah, Nathaniel's blood has always smelled so… _vile._" He sneered before launching at me again.

I blocked and dodged to the best of my ability, but still sustained a fair amount of damage. He had backed me into a corner and was ready to take my head, but my aura flared up, pulsing as my white eyes became gold briefly, a bright red circle with symbols forming around my hand as I thrust it forwards towards his stomach. _This is for my mother, you bastard! _The circle swirled around my arm as it made contact and he recoiled in shock, retreating back across the room as red lines crawled across his torso and down his arms, pulsing all the way. He stared at me in shock as he was bound to the spot. Swiping at the blood from my forehead, I flicked it towards him as a circle appeared around him and engulfed him in a bright white light.

I panted as I took a mental evaluation of my body. _One large laceration across the back, multiple cuts along the arms and legs, bruising along the jawline and left cheek bone… _I winced as blood dripped into my right eye. _Laceration across the forehead, and one across the abdomen…_ I took in a deep breath and winced when the pain spread, _oh yeah… multiple broken ribs, and possible internal bleeding, _I added when I choked and spat out blood. _Fuck…_

I glanced towards the barrier around Hades, hoping to buy so time so my healing could kick in. _It's not like he's any better, he's covered it bruises and cuts, and I made sure the cuts were deep._

There was a sudden roar as Hades' aura flared up incredibly, destroying the barrier completely and sending the debris flying. I was blinded as his black aura reached terrifying new levels and instinctively erected a barrier to deflect the flying debris.

However, I had never expected Hades' sudden boost in speed, as he was before me before I could blink, evil smirk on his face as he shattered my defensive barrier easily and I gasped as I felt his blade penetrate my stomach and exit through my back. Blood poured from my mouth and my stomach, and pain filled my entire body.

_Fucking hell…_

I noticed that there was another empty syringe in his other hand and winced at my miscalculation. I hadn't expected him to be able to inject another syringe whilst he was bound, I hadn't expected him to be able to move at all, but I guess I was wrong after all.

"_We have secured Poseidon and Aphrodite"_ Richard's voice filtered into my mind and I smirked victoriously. It didn't matter what happened now, I'd won.

"What the fuck are you smirking at?" He growled in my face and I cringed at the horrible scent of death and decay that floated from his mouth.

"Ever heard of mouthwash?" I spat, my blood hitting his face and burned the flesh like acid.

"Still so feisty, even in the face of death," he sneered. "Too bad you're Zeus' daughter, you would've made wonderful progress in my army." He twisted the blade once before slowly drawing it back out; more blood spilled as it filled my mouth in large amounts. I choked slightly at the feeling as he watched on in delight. "It's almost a shame to kill you." He thrust his free hand into my wound and lightning erupted from it, sending a powerful shock through my system, paralyzing me.

_No. No. No… Move... _I struggled for control over my limbs. _Move dammit! _I couldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me weak, not after everything he had done. I would die in a battle, _not_ whilst I was weak and paralyzed from a stupid miscalculation. _Dammit, I should have _never_ underestimated him…. Fuck you… _"Fuck You!" I screamed at his smug face. _Why couldn't I have done more? Injured him more? Incapacitated him in _any_ way? I couldn't save Toby, I couldn't save my mother, and now I can't even do anything to help Arizona and Tim… Why…_

Pulling his hand away quickly, he grabbed at my throat, burning me as my bleeding continued sizzling through his skin, he threw me to the ground and impaled his sword into me once again, pinning me to the floor.

The pain was unbearable as a scream tore through my throat.

"_TERRI!" _Aria's horrifying voice, laced with intense pain and anguish, filled my mind.

_Aria…_

He laughed maniacally at me as he gathered a terrifying amount of energy into his outstretched arms. In the corner of my eye I saw Erica slowly waking from her daze and staring at me with wide eyes in horror as she fully processed the scene before her.

"T-Teresa…" I heard my name leave her lips in a whisper.

_I'm sorry…_

"Y-you're my… my half-sister…" despair and shock filled her eyes.

Hades' energy hit its limit and he prepared to launch his attack. I saw Erica struggling to get up, stumbling towards us, and I smiled at her briefly before closing my eyes, resigning to my fate and tried to picture happier times, so my last thoughts wouldn't be filled with hatred, anger and rage.

_I love you Aria…_


	24. Chapter 24: The New Crown

A.N: Gee whizz, it's been a long time huh? Hope ya'll are still around! Between work and everything, I'm struggling to find time to write, but never fear! I will never give up on the story!

Many thanks to **2damnpretty2die**, for reading it over twice! You're awesome =]

* * *

Chapter 24: The New Crown

Daniel p.o.v

We had received Teresa's message last night that she would be coming today to rescue us. I shared a glance with my wife before we both opened the vials containing the blood and swallowed in, feeling the healing effects work instantly. Our bodies became lighter as the wounds, internal and external, began to close up. I closed my eyes and began to focus on my powers, feeling the strength returning, and when I opened my eyes, I saw my wife's smiling face staring back at me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked

"Strong." Her reply was filled with awe at the instantaneous effect of Teresa's blood.

"The blood of the heir is something to be marvelled at isn't it?"

"Yes" She looked at me thoughtfully, "Daniel…" there were tears in her eyes

"Yes?" I asked concerned.

"We're going to see our children tomorrow…" I smiled at the thought, knowing that Tim had been injured during the last battle, but Teresa had assured me that he was fit and well again, and she had mentioned that Arizona had taken a temporary leave from her duties to take care of him.

"Teresa has become strong hasn't she?" she asked me.

"She has, and she has done wonderfully as a leader. And even though I had my doubts about her plans regarding our last meeting, it worked rather wonderfully didn't it?" I felt guilty for doubting her, but the last time I had met her, she was just a baby. I never, in my wildest dreams, expected her to grow into such an intelligent, strong and powerful leader. I knew I had made the right decision in standing by my brother and fighting for the last 20 years in this hell hole.

"I'm surprised that she was able to overcome the issue regarding our injuries and binding so easily. Nathan should be proud of her achievements," my wife continued in awe. "And I can only hope that Tim and Arizona have picked up some of her wisdom in the past years by her side."

"I agree, now, shall we meet with our avatars? I'm sure they've been anticipating this moment for as long as we have."

She nodded and we closed our eyes as the long awaited familiar powers filled our bodies, unrestricted by the barriers around us.

_I can only pray that we can repay everything you've done for us, Teresa._

* * *

_"We're coming"_

It was late in the night when we heard her voice, and we prepared ourselves for the freedom we had be denied for so long. There was nothing we could do but wait as the barriers prevented us from sensing anything beyond the closed doors, but we were ready for anything that came to us.

Commotion outside in the halls caught our attention and we tensed, ready to break out of our chains. The door burst open as two figures appeared before us.

"Richard… Elizabeth." Barbara cried in happiness, and they bowed their heads at us.

"Lord Poseidon, Lady Aphrodite. We're glad to see that you are well." Elizabeth replied.

"How are you feeling? Has the serum taken effect yet?" Richard asked.

"Yes, and our avatars have finally responded. We have been preparing since yesterday and we are already at full power. We'll just need to escape the confines of these barriers." I explained.

"Very well, now shall we see to those pesky barriers?" Elizabeth asked jovially as her eyes became golden and the markings around the room disappeared. Power filled our bodies immediately and with a might roar, my aura flared up majestically, shattering the chains into dust. I stood up to my full height, eyes blazing a thunderous blue and looked towards my wife to see her standing with her fiery red eyes shining.

"Let's go," I ordered and we shot out of the room.

I froze the moment we got out of the doorway, feeling the powerful aura coming from above us.

"Who is that?" My wife asked eyes widened in amazement.

"Hades" I growled, I would recognise his aura even in my sleep. "But who does the second aura belong to?" I asked, and noticed as Richard and Elizabeth both avoided eye contact.

"Come along, we must hurry." Richard insisted with a strained voice, but I refused to move.

"Richard, who is it?" my wife questioned and was answered with his silence.

"We need to leave, _now_" Elizabeth replied firmly.

"No." I stated sternly, "I'm ordering you to tell me."

"We are under direct orders of the Crown, so we are not required to answer to your commands." They both looked away guiltily.

"Fine, have it your way." I growled and closed my eyes and my senses expanded to the floors above me. The scent of blood was the first thing to hit me, then the sounds of fighting came, and finally, the familiar aura of Zeus hit me, but I knew it wasn't him.

_It couldn't be…_

My eyes shot open as I realised who it was. "Teresa."

They remained silent as my wife gasped in realization. "No… We have to help her." She replied, stunned.

"We can't. Our orders are to get you back to Artemis and Apollo. They are waiting for you" Elizabeth pleaded with tears in her eyes.

I glanced at my wife, who nodded in understanding at my thoughts. "Then _you_ may go. _You_ have orders, but we do not. And we choose to go after the Crown." With that my wife and I shimmered out of sight and towards the intense aura coming from the throne room.

We encountered many vampires on the way, but they were taken care of with ease in my anger and desperation to reach Teresa before it was too late. We came to a halt outside the throne room, unable to proceed any further as it was sealed with a barrier, and I growled in frustration.

Richard and Elizabeth appeared behind us. "I thought you were leaving?"

"Our orders are to protect you, and if you choose to go after the Crown, we will follow." I smiled at their reasoning, knowing that they too were just as worried about her.

"What is this?" I asked them, gesturing to the door. "I know it's a barrier, but I am unable to break through."

"It is a blood barrier, my Lord." Richard explained and my wife gasped in surprise.

"How is it that she is able to create one _this_ powerful? So powerful that not even Poseidon and I combined can break through?" I was amazed at the powers she possessed, it was unheard of for anyone, other than the King, to create a barrier that a pure blooded _royal_ couldn't destroy.

"She's been training for many years, under horrific circumstances and situations. The King made sure that she would be able to protect her people, even if she wasn't officially crowned yet." Elizabeth replied wistfully. "And Athena is prepared to die and refuses to let Hades escape, so the barrier is most likely connected to her life source. It will not break nor fade until her life runs out."

I furrowed my brow in frustration, there had to be a way. I couldn't let her die, not like this, not for us.

A horrific cry of pain echoed through the doors as the barrier began to flicker and weaken, to our horror. I felt the desperation rush through my veins as my aura brightened significantly and I forced the door open, breaking the already weak barrier on the way.

Nothing could have prepared us for the sight we were confronted with.

The intense scent of blood filled our noses as the overwhelming pressure of the room hit us. Teresa was lying in a pool of her own blood, broken and weak, with the blade of Cronus protruding from her chest, pinning her to the ground as Hades stood over her, arms raised with a large amount of energy gathered in his hands.

_No…_

The anger filled my sense as I charged straight for Hades.

_I will not let you die!_

* * *

Terri p.o.v

I closed my eyes, resigned to my fate, and prayed for a quick and painless ending, although the terrifying amount of energy he had gathered told a different story. My body tensed as it awaited the pain that would no doubt touch upon every surface of my being. When the sudden appearance of another person alerted me and the building energy disappeared instantly.

I cracked open my blood covered eyes and was astounded by the sight before me. There was a man with his back to me, standing tall with majestic silver wings, long silver hair, and a blinding silver aura, holding Hades up by the throat, claws tightening and digging into the flesh.

Another bright flash of light caught my attention, and turning my head the best I could, I saw white wings, a red aura that was steadily growing, I made eye contact with the woman and saw red eyes with silver sparks staring fiercely back at me, with a bright silver Neptune mark on her chest, and my eyes widened in recognition.

_Aphrodite… That must mean_… I turned my gaze back to the man in front of me … _Poseidon._

Tears escaped my eyes, _what are they doing here?_

I saw Richard and Elizabeth and made eye contact with them. _Why are they here? Run… Run!_

I tried to move, to send my thoughts to them, but my exhausted, broken and powerless body had already begun to shut down. A gush of wind hit my face suddenly as warmth emanated from my left side. I turned to see Aphrodite staring down at me warmly with sadness in her eyes. I opened my mouth to speak, but choked as blood continued to spill.

"Shhh, it's okay." She comforted as she placed a warm hand on my cheek. "You've done so well Teresa." Tears poured from my eyes as she spoke my name and I whimpered pathetically in pain. I saw tears fill her eyes, but was quickly replaced with determination and anger as she glanced up at Hades and Poseidon. _"Hades_" she hissed.

"W-what are you d-doing here?" He choked out through Poseidon's grasp. "T-there's no way you could have left the dungeon. You should be dead!" He screamed in outrage.

"Zeus is a better leader than you could _ever_ be and his daughter has inherited his wisdom, intelligence and foresight." Poseidon's cool voice reached my ears before his aura flared up mightily and Hades was launched across the room.

He wasn't given time to recover as Poseidon began his onslaught of quick and deadly attacks, years of pent up rage and anger finally unleashed.

Erica had stumbled back onto the floor at their appearance; body still confused from the memories she had seen, and stared at her father and Uncle conflicted. Her father was suddenly launched next to her, and she had no choice but to act as Poseidon charged, blocking the attack aimed at Hades.

"Stay out of this _child_" He roared at Erica, who recoiled at the power coming off of him in magnificent waves. Determination set in her eyes and she prepared her own attack, drawing a deep sigh from Poseidon, who proceeded to bind her and she was hit with a powerful ball of energy fuelled by anger and rage. Her screams echoed through my ears before she was knocked unconscious, drawing another whimper from me as I tried to speak.

_Her loyalty is admirable, why did she have to be a 'Hahn'?_

There was a sudden increase in dark energy beside me and my eyes flashed to Aphrodite as Hades appeared behind her. I forced my body to move, to say something, to do _anything_, but it refused to cooperate and I could only watch on helplessly as he started his attack. She shimmered out of sight before his hand could make contact, and reappearing beside the Elders.

He growled in frustration, producing another syringe and injecting it into his system, and his aura increased instantly, the room began shaking and a strong wind started circling his body, following his growing aura. Horrified gasps escaped Aphrodite and Poseidon, who had yet to witness the serum's effect.

I let out a painful moan as his hand made contact with the hilt of the blade still pinning me and shuddered as he slowly removed the blade, sadistic grin on his face.

"Hades!" Poseidon shouted over the roaring wind.

I summoned every remaining inch of power and energy as my blood covered hand made contact with the floor between Hades' feet. A bright circle formed of my blood surrounding Hades, the blood crawling up his skin starting from his legs, up until it reached his head and he screamed as the burning sensation reverberated through his entire body; my eyes turned white, then gold as bright energy covered the both of us and expanding slowly until most of the room was engulfed in the light. I could feel my life fading away quickly, so I had to act before it was too late. I sent one last thought to the four vampires across the room, "_Run_", before the room exploded, taking Hades, Erica and I with it.

The last thing I registered before I lost consciousness was the overwhelming warmth covering my body.

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

Aria and Lexie had lost consciousness after they had let out a horrific cry of pain and loss. Calliope and Lucia had taken Aria in their arms, tears streaming down their faces, and Lexie was lying in Mark's. Addison had taken Teddy into her arms as the loss of Terri had hit her; Thalia and Clio were holding onto each other's hand; Bailey was standing next to a tormented Tim, with pain and tears all over her face.

The room was dressed in a dark and distraught atmosphere and I felt my fists tighten. There was not a single sound other than the occasional sniffle from tears.

The barrier had long disappeared since Aria's loss of consciousness, but Alex remained standing protectively in front of the door, features darkened. I felt my power returning as I noticed that the mark of the Crown on Alex faded away, and felt my heart sink at the realization.

_No… Terri… Tell me it's not true._

There was a sudden flare of aura that was unrecognisable as the door flew open and four blurs flickered into the room with amazing speed, and I gasped when I saw the bloodied, broken and unconscious form of Terri in their arms.

"Terri!" I cried and moved towards her, but was brushed off and barged out of the way by a large, muscular body. I stiffened and turned, ready to unleash my fury on the man, but deflated immediately when I came face to face with bright blue eyes, burning fiercely.

"D-dad?" I heard gasps around the room as they recognised who was holding Terri. There was a cry of happiness and I saw Tim being engulfed in a tight embrace by my mother. "Mom!" I ran over to her and practically jumped onto her and we stood in a tight circle, tears of joy pouring down our faces.

Her joy was quickly replaced by dismay as my father laid Terri down in the tank that once held Tim, and we sobered immediately.

"I-is she…?" I couldn't finish my sentence. She was so pale and still, there was no power, no aura, nothing radiating from her unresponsive body and I weren't even sure if she was breathing anymore.

Richard took command of the room, barking orders to Bailey, Thalia and Clio as they rushed around hurriedly, trying to gather everything he needed.

The machines were attached to her body, but they too remained unresponsive.

"No!" Aria's sudden cry shocked me; I hadn't even noticed that she had woken up. "Terri, baby, please!" Lucia and Calliope held her back, so she wouldn't obstruct the rapid movements of the two healers. "Please, don't leave me!" The despair and desperation in her voice shook me to the core, and the guilt quickly built up again.

They injected syringe after syringe and had tried shocking her multiple times, but she remained unresponsive. Finally, they stepped back with a dark look across their faces and pain in their eyes.

"No…" I whispered. They shook their heads in defeat. "No!" I repeated louder.

Lexie had woken up at that moment and stared in horror at the amount of blood covering the floors leading up to the tank. "T-Terri?" her voice was small and filled with disbelief as she walked up to her master.

Thalia, Clio, Elizabeth and Lucia dropped to one knee as they mourned the loss of the Princess, as Richard and Bailey dropped their heads and recited a silent prayer under their breaths.

Alex and Teddy stumbled over to Lexie and they all fell to their knees, head dropped, and tears falling in quick procession.

Calliope, who was holding onto Aria's crumpling form, helped her over to the tank, before quickly retreating to my side with Tim, Mark and Addison next to us.

Aria reached out to grab onto Terri's hand and placed a hand on her cheek. "Please, _please_ wake up. Don't leave me. _Please_!" she begged and pleaded, and we felt her pain and grief resonate through our bodies.

My mother fell into my father's arms, sobbing heavily, and I could see him fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"No… It's a lie." I refused to believe that she was dead. I refused!

Calliope grabbed onto my arm and I could feel her shaking as she cried silently.

The room suddenly dropped into darkness and a bright light began to appear in the centre of the room.

The light began to pulse and grow, until it finally took over the room. A powerful aura dropped the pressure in the air and I felt myself choke at the tension.

_What is that? I've never felt anything like it._

I was amazed by the power, but fearful at what it could be at the same time. I could barely make out the figures of my parents moving to stand in front of Terri's body protectively, before the light exploded and blinded us.

* * *

"Athena…" A deep booming voice shook the walls and made me shiver at the power radiating from it.

My vision finally cleared and before us stood three people: two men, one with long, shoulder length black hair tied into a low ponytail and clear hazel eyes, and the other with short blonde hair and green eyes; and a woman with long wavy black hair that reached her waist and brown eyes.

My parents were to first to react, dropping to their knees in a low bow. "Zeus, it's been a long while." My father spoke first.

"I'm so sorry, but we could do nothing for her. She's… gone." Richard said, dropping to his knees in front of Zeus, begging for forgiveness.

He raised his right hand and Richard flinched, prepared for Zeus' wrath, but none came as he laid his hand on his shoulder. "You've done so well already," and with that he walked up to Terri's body, sparing a brief glance at Aria's tear filled wide eyes.

"My child, you have far exceeded my expectations and I am proud of you." His eyes became gold as power radiated from him. "But the battle is far from over, now come, my child, _awaken_." His voice seemed to echo as a golden Jupiter symbol began to burn brightly on her forehead. Her eyes shot open, wide and bright white, and she started gasping for air. He beckoned the second man over to them as the machines attached to her body began to scream, and the blonde haired man spread his palms over her convulsing body as they began to pulse and glow a vivid orange.

"What are you doing?" cried Aria, and the tall black haired woman laid a calming hand on her arm.

"It's okay, my child, Athena's candle still burns brightly." She comforted in a soft, warm voice as Aria stared at her in fear and confusion.

"T-Theia? M-Master Theia?" Came Lucia's shocked voice, "is that really you?"

She smiled at her in return, "Mnemosyne, I'm glad to see you're doing well. This is your child, no?"

"Yes, she's my youngest, Ariadne Torres, and my eldest is over there." She gestured to Calliope and beckoned her over. Calliope walked over, eyeing the woman warily.

"Calliope Iphigenia Torres." Theia stated, and Calliope stared at her shocked.

"H-how did you know?"

"Calliope," Lucia said with a chuckle, "this is my master, the greatest Seer of all times and the sister of Cronus, Lady Theia. And she is the one who blessed you with the name Iphigenia." Calliope bowed her head immediately and Theia placed a hand on her cheek.

"You have grown to be such a beautiful young woman, a woman deserving of becoming Artemis' mate." Her gaze landed on me and I stiffened. "Artemis, Apollo, come."

We complied immediately, coming to a halt in front of her and bowing our heads in respect. "My Lady."

"You two are so much like Poseidon and Aphrodite, so strong and so much potential." I could feel our parents' proud gaze upon us and I straightened up in pride.

"Thank you-" I was cut off as a painful scream escaped Terri's bloody lips, and we all turned in horror.

"Her injuries are much too severe, and her energy levels much too low." The blonde haired man stated in a calm voice.

"Is there nothing you can do?" Lucia asked fearfully.

The man chuckled, "I didn't say that, I was merely making an observation." He grinned at her before refocusing his gaze upon Terri and as a silver circle with jagged edges spreading out appeared on his forehead. I recognised it immediately and stared in awe, _Helios_…

Terri's body started to convulse more severely as red, white and golden auras pulsed around her. Her face tensed and brows furrowed as if in great pain and suddenly, her hand shot up and grabbed his, fangs elongated, eyes clouded over and snarled menacingly at him.

"Do not _touch me!"_ Her voice carried an ethereal echo as her eyes burned bright red, with white and golden sparks swirling, as if fighting for command.

"Athena, stand down." Zeus' commanding voice ordered.

She ignored him and continued to growl at Helios, grip tightening, claws digging in and drawing blood, but he stood firmly, expression not once changing nor giving any hints as to whether he felt any pain or not.

"_Athena_" he repeated and she snapped her eyes to him, head tilted in confusion, before blinking rapidly.

"Y-_you're_…" her eyes narrowed, deep in thought, before her eyes widened as recognised the mighty King before her. "_Father_?"

He smiled at her and nodded, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "_No… You can't be… Hades! This is a trick_!" Her aura flared up powerfully as energy crackled around her.

"She's a powerful one isn't she?" Helios commented jovially and I arched an eyebrow at his nonchalance.

_Is he not aware of the situation he's in right now? Terri will kill him_.

Theia suddenly appeared beside Helios and touched her right index finger to Terri's forehead, eyes burning gold. "Athena, you are so powerful and such a strong willed child, can you hear my voice?"

Terri's clouded and unseeing eyes reacted to the touch and they widened in confusion, "_Ariolus_?" she asked in a childlike voice.

She looked so innocent and lost that my heart broke at the sight.

"What does your heart tell you?" Theia replied in a soft voice, as if talking to a child.

_"That I'm afraid, and that I need to preserve the vessel. The host is unable to, she is too weak and powerless right now, so I must protect her."_ She replied hesitantly.

"And what does your mind tell you?"

_"That you are here now, Ariolus, and it is safe." _

"Then relinquish your control and allow us to save your host. We cannot afford to waste any more time and the strain you are putting on the body with the power you are using is causing even more damage than we need."

_"But… the host is afraid. The pain and the suffering in the world that waits is not something she wants to revisit. There is too much that she is burdened with and she has lost hope. She is afraid that she will be unable to bear that burden any more and fears disappointing everyone."_

"Then let us take part of her burdens, let her friends and family share the pain and suffering, let us help her."

_"Friends? Family? She has none. She is all alone, so alone and she doesn't want to be any more. Can't we just let her rest?"_ Her voice was still filled with so much confusion and the guilt that I had felt returned in bulk.

_How much have I hurt you Terri? God, please come back, I need to make my amends, I need to make it up to you._

"Let us share her burden now then, let us experience her pain and suffering, and let us soothe away her fears." Theia bargained.

"They _cannot handle her burdens."_ She shot back indignantly.

"Then let us try." Theia replied firmly. She narrowed her eyes at the elder vampire before nodding reluctantly, and Theia turned to address us.

"I will show you the events leading up to her death, starting from 6 months ago, when you all landed in Miami." I stiffened, knowing that _I_ was the cause of most of her anguish and I caught Calliope's worried gaze on mine.

"Why from then?" Lucia asked.

"Because, I believe that is the thing that is affecting her the most right now. There is nothing we can do about her sufferings from the past, but we can attempt to resolve recent issues?" Athena nodded in confirmation and before we knew it, Theia's aura had wrapped around all of us, filling us with visions.

There were gasps as we saw the conflict and anguish she was inflicted by during our time in Miami, we saw the memory of her conversation with Aria before the meeting, the pain she felt leaving Tim behind and then having been abandoned by me. The memories of her conversations with Richard and Elizabeth, with Aria and Lexie, the truth behind her actions, and we could feel everything she did during all those moments. But what hit me the most, was the tearful goodbyes she had with the rare few people who stood by her, earlier today, as she prepared to confront Hades, as she prepared herself for death. We witnessed her valiant battle with Hades, her anger and hatred, her pain and suffering, her distraught and dismal, we felt everything as if it were our own emotions and when the visions ended, I dropped to my hands and knees, tears and sweat covering my face as the intensity of the visions took my breathe away, and noticed the rest of my friends in similar positions.

Zeus had his eyes set upon Elizabeth as he saw the conversation Terri had with her before they split up, and I could see the emotions swirling in his intense eyes.

_God, could you ever forgive me Terri? Because I can't forgive myself. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry…_

* * *

Aria p.o.v

"Athena, she needs to return. We shall give her hope, we shall take away her loneliness and we shall soothe her fears, but you _need_ to let her return." Theia insisted. Seeing the confliction on her face, she called for me.

"Aria, let her know you are here and waiting. I fear that Teresa has finally given in to the calling of the darkness."

"What darkness?" I asked, puzzled.

"We placed too much on her too soon. She was too young to understand the reasoning and had accepted it without protest, but we knew that she would eventually buckle under the responsibilities. There was too much at stake and we placed too much responsibility onto her, too suddenly. She has always been such a strong individual and had completed her tasks with precision and promptness that far exceeded our expectations, we were so proud of her, but we had forgotten that she was still a child, and that she had had to have been revived once before already. We had forgotten about her fears and nightmares of the darkness that she dwelled in before we could bring her back. We had forgotten about _her_ as a person and saw her _only_ as a warrior." Her voice was filled with sorrow as regret and remorse filled her eyes.

"Terri?" I started hesitantly.

_"She is not here, she is too weak right now."_

"Athena?"

_"Ariadne, I remember you. You are our mate_." I smiled knowing that she registered that I was real and not a trick.

"Can you let us help her?" I didn't know what to do, but Theia and my mother's hopeful eyes never faltered from us.

_"She is tired, and hurt, she needs to rest."_

"But Theia said that the power that you're using now is hurting her even more." I argued and she tilted her head, deep in thought.

"Do you trust me?" I asked, remembering all the times I had been faced with that question.

"_I do."_ She replied instantly and I slowly got closer to her, giving a quick glance to Helios who gave me a nod, and laid a hand on top of hers.

"Then trust me to protect her. Trust me to help her. Do you remember what you had said to me?" I pleaded. "That I wholeheartedly trust, believe in and am willing to follow Terri without second thoughts, without any doubt." I waited for her response and saw that she had flipped her hand over and held onto mine.

"_Yes_"

"And that was the whole reason that you recognised and accepted me as the Bride?" I received another affirmative response and prepared my final card.

"Then can you do the same for me? Trust me, believe in me and be willing to follow me in return, knowing that I will _never_ let anything happen to Terri. I would rather die than to see her hurt."

"…" She contemplated my request, brows furrowing in concentration.

"Please Athena." I begged, squeezing the hand in mine and lowering my head to meet her eyes so she could see the sincerity and honesty in my eyes.

"…_Yes_." I sighed in relief and she released my hand, signalling for me to back away. Once I had moved back a few steps, she closed her eyes and her aura flared up mightily before dropping away as Terri let out a painful groan.

Helios quickly placed one hand over her head and another over her chest, hands glowing brightly as she settled down again features relaxing as she seemingly drifted into sleep.

Moments, which seemed like hours, passed before he finally stepped back, sighing tiredly.

"How is she?" Zeus asked

"She has a long road ahead of her, but with Ariadne's help, I'm sure she will recover quickly." He looked me in the eyes. "Can you stay by her side and make sure she doesn't fall back into that darkness again?"

"Yes, without a doubt. I won't leave her side ever again, not even if she orders me, I'd lay down my life before I leave her." I stated resolutely, drawing a smile from the blonde man.

I felt eyes upon me and looked up to meet hardened hazel ones, and I recoiled I fear. "T-that is, if the King permits me to?" I bowed my head deeply.

He chuckled before placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad she has someone like you by her side. I was never there to support her as I should have, and I'm grateful for your existence." I relaxed as his warm tone and dared to meet his eyes once again, seeing nothing but sincerity reflected in them.

"I'm just glad she chose me."

He suddenly drew back and his face turned serious again, "we must move now."

"Where to my Lord?" my mother asked curiously.

"Home." He replied simply before levelling his eyes at her, "to Boston."

We gasped at the implication and he smiled knowingly. "Hades has already withdrawn from his manor there, it is no longer safe for him and Teresa has already destroyed that hideout." His eyes held mirth and pride at her actions and I smiled inwardly at the extreme display of power from Terri.

"Where has he gone to?" Aphrodite asked.

"Most likely to underworld. He needs to recover from his wounds and that is the safest place for him right now. It is the _only_ place that he has complete and full reign over."

"Where is the 'underworld'" Addison asked cautiously.

"It is unknown for now, but we do know that that is the place he has dwelled for many years before he led the rebellion against me."

"So we're going to Boston then, when?"

"Now." We didn't have time to react before Zeus, Helios and Theia's aura flared up and we were engulfed in a bright light. When the light faded, I was overcome with nausea, and then I noticed our surrounding.

_What the hell?_

We were in a large room with white walls, there were large windows lined along one of the walls, and when I looked out, I saw nothing but a large field and soldiers patrolling the land. I took a look at their clothes and recognised it immediately.

_We're back in Terri's manor in Boston. Holy hell, how did that happen?_

I glanced back at Zeus in awe and amazement and he chuckled in amusement.

"Yes, we're in Boston. We transported there, how else did you think Helios, Theia and I arrived in the room in Seattle?"

_Jesus Christ, this is weird…_

* * *

Arizona p.o.v

It had been two days since we'd arrived back into Boston and Zeus had summoned his court immediately, and by the next day the throne room was filled with the full court. All eight Elders and eight Generals had answered the calling of their King and all the soldiers had gathered outside of the throne room, awaiting their King's presence.

The room was lined with vampires, two rows stood on either side of the long, blood red carpet that ran along the centre of the room. They had separated into rows according to gender, three Elders and four Generals each side. I had taken my position at the front of the 'female' line, directly in front of Lucia and behind Theia, with Calliope, Addison, and Teddy by my side, and Tim had taken position on the other side behind Helios, with Mark and Alex by his side. Thalia and Clio had taken their place at the foot of the small stairs that led to the throne, staring forwards at us stoically. My parents, Terri, Aria and Lexie had been missing since the morning.

The doors suddenly opened and everyone stood up straighter immediately. Zeus strode in, power and authority radiating off of him with every step. Richard and Elizabeth trailed in behind. He made his way up the four steps that led to his throne and sat down, Richard and Elizabeth taking their place on his right and left respectively on a step lower, and everyone dropped down to one knee.

"Please, rise my brothers and sisters." His deep voice was even and strong.

"We welcome your return, my King, and also the return of Lady Theia and Lord Helios, but may we inquire as to why we have all been summoned today?" came the voice of the Elder I recognised as Hunter Reid.

"Of course Elder Reid. It is regarding the official crowning of the heir. I believe that it is time, it is already 20 years too late."

"And we should work on the assumption that you are referring to Princess Athena?" asked Lucia.

"Who else would I be talking about? Athena has already shown her power and ability to lead in my absence, I see no reason to choose another."

There was a scoff before another Elder spoke up. "'Ability to lead', my Lord? And what exactly has she done to show that? Forgive my rudeness, but Athena is an arrogant, stubborn and cocky _child_. She listens to no one and acts on her own with no regards to any consequences. We have already heard of her attack on Hades from General Howard, and not only was that unsuccessful and we lost many young and promising soldiers, but Apollo was also severely injured. And let's not mention that they were unable to rescue Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite."

I recognised the Elder immediately as Martin Francis. He had always hated Terri because she had protected Tim after he had injured his son. He felt that Terri was unfit to be Crown and had always wanted her and Tim gone. I stiffened at his blatant disregard of Tim and Terri's position in the court and felt my hands curl into tight fists.

"Oh?" Zeus' voice cut through my internal musings. "Apollo is standing here completely unharmed is he not?" he gestured to Tim and I saw Tim narrow his eyes at Elder Francis.

"Y-yes, my Lord, but that does not mean that he wasn't injured." Elder Francis stuttered in reply. "A-and Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite-"

"-Are well and finally home now, thanks to Athena." Zeus cut him off with a stern gaze and he recoiled in fear and confusion. There were whispers amongst the court at the revelation, no one knew that my parents had been rescued and had been ready to use that against Terri's crowning.

"Silence!" Zeus ordered and then called to the guards standing outside the room. "Call for Poseidon and Aphrodite!"

"Presenting, Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite." Was the response and my parents entered with their heads held high and posture straight and full of pride.

The walked up and bowed to Zeus, "My King." They said in unison.

"Rise, my dearest brother and sister. It is good to see you well after so many years under Hades' capture. Could you tell of how your freedom came about?"

They stood up and turned to the court. "We were weakened by Hades 20 years ago and capture in the lower dungeons where he had placed spells to seal our powers and our ability to heal, but a few months ago, we were confronted by Ariadne Torres who, under the strict orders of Athena, had been ordered to give us vials of her blood to strengthen and heal us. Apollo's injury was not part of the plan and had set back the motions to rescue us, and 2 days ago, Athena sent Elders Webber and Lewis to aid in freeing us. She _may_ have failed in rescuing us during the first attack, but she was completely aware that she _had_ to redeem herself, and so she confronted Hades _alone_." My father finished, levelling his angry gaze at Elder Francis.

"She _died_ to protect us and the court, knowing that with the King's return, Poseidon and my powers would increase our advantage against Hades. She fought with everything she had and freed us." My mother swept her gaze around the room. "She fought for the sake of my family's reunion, for the sake of the future and she fought so no one else would have to suffer. _She died for you_."

The room was overcome with silence as everyone stared at my parents with shock and awe.

"So… Are there any other concerns or protests against Athena?" Zeus' voice was filled with mild amusement at the court's reaction and I couldn't help but smile.

General Howard was the first person to step forward and he surprised everyone by dropping down to one knee, placing his right hand over his heart. "I have witnessed the power and leadership she possesses and am more than willing to follow Princess Athena."

I stared at him in shock, and I saw Tim with the same reaction.

"_What the hell Ari, I swear he hates Terri?_" Tim's voice entered my head.

"_I have no idea, after hearing Francis say that Howard was the one to tattle, I'd assume that he'd be against her as well."_

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Elizabeth asked the question that was on all of our minds aloud.

"I was… _wrong_" He spat the word out like it was something that tasted vile. "And I was wrong about her. I had entered the conference room 6 months ago with the thought that she was young and inexperienced, and so could _never_ manage to lead a successful mission. And after we had failed to save Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite, I was confident that I was right about her, but I _saw_ her during the aftermath. She was confident and unwavering, even in the face of…" he trailed off as he glanced quickly to me and then Lucia, and I tensed immediately, knowing what was coming next "… _betrayal_ from her most trusted allies and friends, she never backed down from confrontation. I'd thought that she was being stupid because losing Princess Artemis, Elder Mnemosyne and the rest of her friends was a big loss to our strength, but I'd never imagined that she had already planned everything out. That day… She gave away nothing, no emotions to her loss… No panic or distress at losing such powerful allies. She had remained calm and left us all in the dark, even at the cost of her own life. And I believe, with my whole heart and being, _that_ is the true display of leadership. She possesses all the qualities that a great leader should have and so I will willingly place the fate of my life at her hands."

There were gasps from the other Generals. General James Howard has always been known as a rash man, a brute, a pure fighter, and he never backed down from a fight nor was he _ever_ willing to admit he was wrong about anything. So to loudly proclaim, in front of his peers, that he was wrong about Terri… Well that pretty much meant that pigs were about to fly, that or the apocalypse was about to come.

Zeus let out a loud chuckle, "very good, anyone else?"

"My Lord," Lucia was the one to speak up this time, "after meeting with them last night, Elders Green and Johnson, along with Generals Reynard, Chase and Espinosa have already agreed to accepting Princess Athena as the Crown with no protests." She ended with a bow, I saw her raise her head to meet my eyes and I shot her a grateful smile.

"My Lord, my wife and I have absolutely no qualms with Athena taking the Crown." My dad said, with my mother nodding in agreement next to him.

Elder Reid and Elder Caroline Smith both bowed and accepted the decision with a smile.

The remaining Generals, who I remembered as Franklin Jones, Gavin Kensington, Rachel White and Bethany Douglas, looked amongst each other before all bowing in compliance. "We have no arguments against the idea my Lord."

"Very good, and I can inform you without a doubt that Theia and Helios are also _for_ the idea, so it is 22 against 1, Elder Francis. You have been out-voted." Zeus stated with a smirk as he stood up. "I present to you, the new Crown Princess, Athena!" He held his hand out towards the entrance as a powerful aura began to close in on us.

I held my breath as she appeared. I hadn't seen her in two days, but the last thing I had ever expected was _this_.

* * *

She walked in, standing tall. She was still covered in bandages from her wounds, but her posture gave away nothing about her injured and weakened body, and I found myself in awe of her willpower. The thing that caught me the most were her eyes. They were cold and hard, staring at each of us like we were the enemy.

Behind her, Aria and Lexie entered in a similar manner, staring at us coolly, giving off a calm, but deadly aura. I could hear Calliope's gasp beside me.

"_What the hell happened to them?"_ her voice was panicked slightly.

_"I don't know Calliope, it's only been two days, I'm sure there's a very good reason." _At least I hoped there was.

They walked straight up to the throne and stood where my parents once stood, they had moved to their respective places besides Helios and Theia. Dropping to one knee, and placing a hand over their hearts, Terri's deep, husky voice permeated the air. "My Lord."

"Athena, you have shown your powers and abilities as a leader, and I am more than happy to officially crown you today." Zeus addressed Terri as Elizabeth stepped forward with a silver pillow resting in both her hands. On top of the pillow sat a golden crown with white, black and blue jewels encrusted across it. He picked up the crown and raised it up high as his eyes turned gold.

"With the Court as my witnesses, I, Zeus Nathaniel Ryans, bestow upon you, Athena Teresa Ryans, the crown passed upon to me by the people of our Kingdom; and with it, the authority to call upon the full Court and the Royal Army, the responsibility of safeguarding our people, the fate of our Kingdom and the title _'Invictus'_. May you live long and forever undefeated and invincible!"

There was a roar of 'Invictus' from the soldiers outside as Zeus placed the crown onto Terri's head. Her aura flared up, swirling around her, first red, then gold and finally white, which then surrounded her body, burying her in a bright barrier. The barrier shattered and the sight of Terri took my breath away.

"Now rise and awaken, Crown Princess, Invictus Athena!"

She stood up and turned to face us. Her dark hair had now turned pure white with red streaks running through and had lengthened to her waist, her eyes were white, along with her wings, the Jupiter symbol on her forehead was shining brightly and her aura was blinding. Everyone dropped to their knees and bowed at her, and I scrambled to my knees quickly. There was another flash of light and I looked up to see Aria had also transformed, her white wings standing proudly on her back, her red and white eyes sweeping over our kneeled forms and her red aura swirling dangerously as it mixed with Terri's. Beside her, I noticed that Lexie had also transformed, her white wings were shocking, as were her bright eyes that now had golden streaks swirling through. Her aura had reached a new golden tone as it also flared up and mixed into Terri's.

"And let me introduce to you, the Crown Bride Ariadne Torres, and Athena's blood-bonded sister, and Chief Tactician Alexandra Grey!"

The roars rose to another level as they chanted 'Invictus Athena, all hail the Crown Princess, long live the Crown Princess', 'Crown Bride Ariadne' and 'Chief Tactician Grey'.

I could feel the confusion amongst my friends and I shared a glance with Tim.

_"Blood-bonded sister… What's that?"_

_"I don't know Tim, but whatever the hell it is, it's strong. I mean, Jesus, look at Lexie!"_

_"I thought the forms were only available to the mates?"_

_"Apparently not…"_

_"And Chief Tactician? Why weren't we told of any of this?"_

_"I don't know Tim, I don't know anything anymore."_

We glanced at Lucia and she smiled at us.

_"I will explain later, but for now, let's just celebrate the crowning."_

We nodded reluctantly and let ourselves relax for the time being. Lucia was right, there would be time for questions later, right now was a time for celebrating.

_Invictus huh? That sounds about right. Terri's survived much worse, she's been revived twice already, and each time she gets stronger and stronger. She is the true Crown and she will never be defeated. Long live the Crown Princess indeed._

* * *

A.N: Quick Latin lesson (via google translate):

**Ariolus** – Seer, or Diviner. Theia is the strongest seer possesses God-like abilities in regards to her powers, so it is a name that refers only to her.

**Invictus** – Invincible or Undefeated. Terri has been revived so many times and survives each time, I really feel like she's becoming pretty invincible, or at least I'm hoping her intelligence and foresight will prevent her from being easily defeated.


	25. Chapter 25: You Belong to Me

A.N: It's taken me way too long to get this chapter up, the Captain had already sent it back to me at the beginning of the week, but I haven't had the time to post it until today. Hope ya'll weren't waiting for too long?

**To ShuFly: **I like the way you think, maybe I'll add that in somewhere =]

**To willaw:** Thanks for the support! I like Terri way to much to kill her, so she's staying alive forever! Lol

**To Jessica Torres-Robbins:** I like to keep ya'll on your toes =] To be honest, I _almost_ killed Terri, but I couldn't do it in the end. Her goodbye scene in chapter 23 was hard to write, made me all kinds of sad.

My super Captain is amazingly awesome as per usual, thank you **2damnpretty2die**!

* * *

Chapter 25: You Belong To Me

Arizona p.o.v

After the crowning, we had gathered outside in the garden, awaiting Lucia's presence and explanation.

"So what the hell was that about?" Mark's confused voice broke the silence, "Lex's new form and everything, what _was_ that?"

"I don't know Mark. I'm not even sure what's happening anymore." I replied in a quiet voice.

"As Zeus mentioned before, Lexie is the Crown's blood-bonded sister." Lucia's voice suddenly appeared and we turned to see her standing in the doorway.

"'Blood-bonded sister', what's that?" Calliope asked.

"It's a ritual that involves trading blood and life source, it fully binds the two of them together, and they now share power and life."

"'Power and life', what do you mean by that?" Tim asked, intrigued.

"It means that Terri and Lexie are now bonded in a similar way that Aria is bonded to her. They share _everything_ now; thoughts, feelings, power, life and, in a way, authority. Lexie is now a part of Terri, and _if_ Terri were to be killed, then Lexie would die too."

We stared on in shock at the revelation. _Why would Terri do that to Lexie?_

Lucia looked at me knowingly before continuing. "The 'blood-bond' is the highest honour that the Crown could bestow upon anyone. It signifies trust and belief; that Terri trusts in Lexie with her and her mate's life, and belief that Lexie will _always_ stand by her side against all odds."

"They share thoughts and feelings now? But didn't we already have that? I mean, Lexie _felt_ Terri's pain that day." Teddy exclaimed, "which also reminds me, I was sired by Terri, and Alex was marked, even if temporarily, by Terri. So why didn't we feel anything?"

Lucia stared at us and hesitated before answering, drawing a look of confusion from Tim and I. "Being sired or marked doesn't automatically mean you share the bond with your master. If that were so, then half of the staff at SGMW would have collapsed in pain and shock. Terri has sired and marked many of the nurses at the hospital, but they don't share a bond with her. There is nothing other the fact that 'Terri is the sire' that binds them together. The bond must be built through trust and love."

"But we used to be able to sense her." Teddy whined.

"And that is the key word here: _used to_. Terri _used to_ be able to trust you, you _used_ to be friends and she _used_ to be able to trust you with her life, but you all left her. You abandoned her and broke the bond."

Teddy instantly quietened down and I could feel the guilt swirling around in me once again.

"What about me?" Tim added quietly, "I didn't leave her, but I wasn't able to sense her either."

"Because she broke your bond." Lucia answered simply and raised her hand when Tim began to protest. "She did it to protect you. You had _just_ recovered and had just woken up from your coma, there was no way you'd be able to handle the sudden on rush of pain and shock."

"Is there any way to get the bond back?" Calliope asked her mother, eyes never leaving mine. She knew that there was nothing I wanted more than to have my best friend back.

"I'm afraid that is up to Terri. The bond cannot be one sided, it's a mutual thing. You both need love and trust in each other, and right now, there is none." I hated how direct Lucia was being, but I knew she wasn't doing it to hurt us; she just wanted to be honest with us.

"There is another thing you must know." Lucia's voice drew my attention again.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's about your withdrawal from the court, Artemis." I stiffened. "It would seem that the Crown is working on getting that approved, now that she has the authority to do it, it'll most likely be passed by the end of the week." I stared on in shock as gasps sounded from around me.

"W-what?"

"She believes that it is what you want, she could only grant you temporary leave before, but now, she can officially withdraw all of you."

_No… No dammit! _I had to find Terri, so I turned and ran off without a second thought, ignoring the desperate shouts of 'Arizona!' coming from Calliope.

_You can't do this to me Terri!_

* * *

I ran around the manor, desperately searching for any signs of Terri or Aria, hell, even Lexie would be good right now, but they seemed to be hiding or something. I had tried to sense them out, but came back with nothing.

_Lucia really wasn't kidding when she said they had blocked us out was she?_

Finally, as I turned a corner, I spotted Lexie with Clio and Thalia.

"Lexie!" She turned immediately at the sound of her name and when she spotted me, her eyes narrowed and hardened instantly. I faltered slightly at the response, but powered on. "Have you seen Terri?"

"Why?" Her answer was a cool as her eyes. _What the hell is wrong with her?_

"I need to talk to her." I was panting slightly in my rush and desperation. She watched me silently, staring deep into my eyes, as if trying to look into my mind. _"Please"_ I pleaded and her eyes softened slightly.

"She's on the roof." I nodded in thanks and ran off towards the roof. As I neared my destination, I could feel a powerful aura coming from behind the closed door in front of me.

_Terri…_

I took a deep breath before opening the door and walked through straight away.

* * *

She stood there with her back to me, looking out on the land surrounding the manor and the soldiers that were training below.

"Terri…" I started, voice hoarse. She tilted her head slightly, but otherwise gave no other indication as to whether she had heard me or not, but I knew she must have. "I need to talk to you, T." She stiffened slightly at my use of her nickname and my heart sunk.

"Speak." Her voice was cold and commanding, as if I was just another soldier. It broke my heart to see our relationship so broken down. _It was all my fault._

I walked forward and stopped right beside her. "Lucia told me about you withdrawing me from the court. Why?"

"_Mnemosyne_ knows better than to reveal any classified information." She berated, "and besides, it was _your_ request, was it not, Artemis?"

I clenched my fists, "I wasn't serious. I take it back. I don't want to withdraw from the court, I want to keep fighting."

She scoffed and finally turned to face me. "You take it back? Do you think that this is a game, Artemis? That you can stop whenever you want and then join back in when you feel like it? This is a matter of life and death; there is no 'take backs' in this."

"I was upset and angry at you-"

"-And that's even more of a reason I can't let you join us. You are too emotional and passionate about _everything, _but at the same time too hesitant and merciful. They cloud your judgement and it makes you unfit to lead." She interrupted.

"Tim had just died! At least we thought he was dead; and you… You seemed so unaffected and uncaring. You seemed to care more about everyone else than me and Tim, what was I to think?" I screamed.

"You should have _trusted_ me!" She shouted back, and I took a step back at the unexpected outburst. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she took a deep breath, fighting for composure. "You should have trusted me." She repeated, in a calmer voice.

"And you should have trusted that I had a plan for everything, that I would _never_ let anything happen to Tim, that I would _always_ save my family." I felt tears build in my eyes at the pain in her voice, I felt horrible at the way I had treated her. She was right, I should have trusted her.

"It doesn't matter now." She seemed to have recomposed herself as her voice hardened and returned to the calm and cool persona she possessed before. "I had anticipated this day, I had never expected it to be after a battle when we should have been regrouping, but you've never played by our rules."

"What do you mean by that?" I was angered by the patronising tone she was speaking to me with.

"You've been fighting me since day one Artemis. Since you woke up and found out that you were a vampire, you've been doing everything I said not to. You ran away from us, you refused to feed, you refused to train and you refused to even try to get along with the other vampires at the manor. Then when we got older, you refused to fight, you refused to mark and sire anyone, and you've been going against orders from the King since as long as I can remember, and who gets to repercussions of your insolence? Me. I get punished for not being able to keep you in line, for not being able to control you better. You even refused to fight against Hades, even though I had told you all about his actions, until you finally witnessed one of his strays attack an innocent. You've never trusted or believed anything I've said, so why would this be any different?"

I stared at her in shock and horror. Why had she never told me any of this before? I never knew that she had been punished because of me.

* * *

"W-what are you talking about?"

"All those times you skipped training because you were 'sick'? I knew it was because you hadn't fed. And that time you were sent on a mission and failed because there was a child, I cleaned that up for you so you wouldn't be reprimanded, but instead, _I_ got reprimanded for being too 'soft' on you and your damned conscience. And let's not forget the time Tim attacked Elder Francis' son, I know it was because he attacked you first, and you told Tim, who went to get revenge for _you._ I played along with Tim's story of wanting to show off his powers, but I _know_ what he's like, and more than that I _know_ you."

Tears were falling down my cheeks, "w-why have you never told me this before? I would have-"

"What? You would have what?" She cut me off before I could get another word in. "_Terri_ would never tell you, because she loves you, even if she gets hurt in the process, she will _always_ protect you."

"So let me protect you this time!" I screamed in frustration.

She scoffed again and turned her attention back to the soldiers below. "With what? If your idea of protecting is to throw everything we've done for you back at our faces, then thanks, but no thanks. I already have Ariadne and Alexandra, and I _know_ that I can trust them to have my back."

"Terri…" That hurt me more than words could say, the fact that she no longer trusted me to fight by her side, it hurt so much.

She sighed, "You really want to fight?"

"Yes, without a doubt. I want to fight Hades, to fight Erica. I want to fight for the Kingdom." I replied instantly.

"Then bow." She suddenly turned to face me and her eyes met mine. Her voice was cold and I stared at her in confusion.

"W-what?"

"You heard me Artemis, bow down to me, your leader, the Crown. Bow down and pledge your allegiance to me. Show me how much you _trust me_." She replied in a mocking tone.

I was horrified by her request. _She wants me to submit to her, like a soldier, like an _underling_, she's never done that to me before. We've always been equals, fought beside each other as partners, but she wants me to _pledge_ to her? She wants to become my… _master!

"What? Can't do it? I didn't think so." She let out a chuckle that sounded so fake and forced, I felt my heart clench. "Now, leave me at my peace, Artemis." She turned away from me, but I dropped to my knees, placing a hand over my heart before her attention left me completely.

"I, Artemis Arizona Robbins, hereby pledge my allegiance to the Crown Princess, Invictus Athena Teresa Ryans. I give her my power, my life and my soul to use as she pleases and I vow to fulfil all of her wishes without question or doubt until death." I looked straight into her eyes as I said the last part. "I am yours to own."

There was a flash of emotion in her eyes, but it disappeared before I could fully grasp it, and her eyes turned gold as she raised her right index finger to my forehead. Warmth overtook my entire body and I knew without doubt that she had just marked me. She bent over to whisper into my ear.

"And don't you _ever_ forget that, Artemis. I _own_ you. _You belong to me._" The cold and emotionless voice sent shivers down my back and I nodded in compliance.

"Yes, _master._" I replied reluctantly as she stood back up to her full height.

"Now, leave." I wanted to protest, but a tug emanating from my chest stopped me and I left, completely missing the eyes that were watching us.

* * *

Aria p.o.v

After the crowning, Terri had taken off straight away as my mother had pulled me away.

"Aria, are you okay?" her voice was filled with concern and I felt anger building up.

"What's it to you?" I replied coldly and felt guilt hit me as she recoiled in shock.

"Ariadne! Of course I care, you're my daughter."

"And Terri is my mate! If you really cared about me at all, then you wouldn't have left Terri, knowing that _that_ would hurt _me!_" I growled.

"Aria, I made a mistake, but you are still my daughter!" She admonished.

"Whatever, I need to find Terri." I started to walk off, but she pulled me back.

"Athena is dangerous right now, she is not in complete control. It would be in your best interest to stay away from her until she regains that contro-"

"Stop." I demanded, cutting her off. "I _know_ what's happening to Terri, I know better than _anyone_. But I promised her that I would protect her, and unlike _some people_, I keep my promises. Besides, I love her and I know that she would _never_ hurt me. Control or not, she could never lay a hand on me!" I glared at my mother; I couldn't believe that she was still trying to keep us apart, after everything that had happened. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't pretend to know more than you think you do. You know _nothing_ of what's happening to Terri or what's happening between the two of us. Even your master, Lady Theia, believes that it would be best if I stayed by her side. Who are _you_ to tell me otherwise?"

"I am your mother!" She replied indignantly.

"And I am a grown woman; and whether you like it or not, Terri and I are _mates._ We're _bonded_ and nothing can break that. So I would like it if you could accept that, if you can't, then I believe that you are down one daughter." I walked away, leaving my mother huffing and spluttering at my statement.

I didn't want to result to ultimatums, but she was starting to piss me off. She had known that I was destined to become the bride of the crown from the start, and now that I'm fulfilling my destiny, she is completely against it.

_I bet she didn't have a problem with it when Toby was the Crown, and he turned out to be a traitor!_

I growled under my breath at the thought of Toby and how much he had hurt Terri.

_And she doesn't have a problem with Callie and Arizona._

I shook off the thoughts and returned to my task of seeking out Terri. I closed my eyes and picked up her scent above me. _The roof?_ But there was another presence with her. _Is that… Arizona… Shit!_

Arizona and Terri being alone right now was not the best idea, so I hurried to the rooftop, praying that I wasn't too late.

* * *

"You really want to fight?"

I heard Terri's voice as I reached the roof. I had used a different entrance, so they hadn't noticed me yet, being completely absorbed by each other.

"Yes, without a doubt. I want to fight Hades, to fight Erica, I want to fight for the Kingdom." Arizona's voice was filled with determination and I smiled sadly. I decided to remain hidden, waiting to see what would happen.

"Then bow." She had turned to face Arizona, voice cold and I sighed.

"W-what?"

"You heard me Artemis, bow down to me, your leader, the Crown. Bow down and pledge your allegiance to me. Show me how much you _trust me_." She replied in a mocking tone.

_Oh Arizona, why did you have to do this now? Can't you see that she's still hurting? She needs time and space to recover. It's not just your betrayal that plagues her nightmares. Don't you know of the pain and darkness she overcame during her revival. She died, as in 'there was no longer a heartbeat' and 'she's moved on to a better place' kind of died. Not just the faked death Tim went through or the 'recovering the past' kind of revival that you went through. She doesn't need this, not now, Arizona._

"What? Can't do it? I didn't think so." She let out a chuckle that held no amusement. "Now, leave me at my peace Artemis." She turned away, but Arizona suddenly dropped to her knees and placed a hand over her heart, catching both Terri and I off guard. Her head was bowed, so she completely missed the distraught and horrified look on Terri's face.

"I, Artemis Arizona Robbins, hereby pledge my allegiance to the Crown Princess, Invictus Athena Teresa Ryans. I give her my power, my life and my soul to use as she pleases and I vow to fulfil all of her wishes without question or doubt until death." She looked up at Terri, before finishing her oath. "I am yours to own."

There was a flash of emotion in her eyes, and I felt the pain and guilt overcome me immediately.

_Oh Terri… Don't do it… don't…_

Her eyes turned gold as she raised her right index finger to Arizona's forehead. I caught the brief hesitation in Terri's eyes before she continued. She began to glow a gentle white as Terri's power overtook her body briefly, marking her as 'property' of the Crown. She bent over to whisper into her ear and I barely caught what she had said.

"And don't you _ever_ forget that, Artemis. I _own_ you. _You belong to me._" The cold and emotionless voice broke my heart, and I watched as Arizona nodded obediently

"Yes, _master._"

The compliance in Arizona's voice tore at me and I could feel Terri's despair.

"Now, leave." Arizona left reluctantly at Terri's dismissal, completely missing my presence, and when I was finally left alone with Terri, I stepped out from my hiding place.

* * *

"Was that necessary?" I asked angrily. Even though I understood that Terri was still hurting, it still angered me to see her blatant display of authority and power over her best friend and cousin.

"I had to do it. She wouldn't leave me alone." Her voice was calm even though I could feel that she was anything but that.

"Couldn't you have just told her to come back later?"

"_She wouldn't leave_." There was a painful tug in my heart that took me completely off guard.

"Look at me." I walked up to her, as she remained silent and unmoving. "_Look_ at me." I repeated firmly as I grabbed her shoulder and forcefully turned her around. I froze at the unexpected sight. Tears were pouring down her cheeks and my breath caught.

"Oh baby, come here." I pulled her into me and felt her arms come around and grasp onto my back fiercely.

"She won't stop crying, won't stop hurting." She murmured into my shoulder.

"I know, I know." I comforted her. It broke my heart to see her like this, and I could feel my resentment towards Arizona build. _Just how much longer is Arizona going to keep hurting you?_

"She hates me for doing this, but I need to protect her. She needs me to do what she can't do, and she hates me for it. I don't want her to hate me." She stated in a childlike tone and started to sob into my shoulder. "Don't let her hate me, Ariadne."

I pulled back and tried to catch her eye, but she avoided me. "Look at me." She continued staring at the floor, so I cupped her face in my hands. "_Athena,_ look at me." She reluctantly raised her head and stared at me through her tear filled eyes. "Terri understands."

"No she doesn't. I can feel it." She raised her fist and slammed in against her chest. "She's hurting and she hates me."

I grabbed her fist and pulled it to my chest, cradling it. "She's just upset. She knows that you're doing this to protect Arizona, not just her. She knows that the pledge means that Arizona can no longer disobey you. She's just shocked right now, much like I am, and I bet you are too. I bet you didn't expect Arizona to comply right?" She nodded. "See? It was a risky move, but if I can understand the motivation behind your actions, then I can assure you that Terri does too."

She still looked conflicted, so I leaned in and gave her a brief kiss. "You trust me, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then trust me when I say that Terri doesn't hate you, Athena. She's just confused right now, and when she's fully healed and in control again, she'll understand."

She sighed in defeat and I pulled her into me once again, kissing her forehead lightly. "I love you."

"I love you too." I could feel that she felt slightly better and smiled slightly at the knowledge that I could support her.

"It'll be okay, I promise."

* * *

Callie p.o.v

Arizona had run off so suddenly that I couldn't even react, not that it would have done any good, as my mother had called for my attention.

"Calliope?"

"Hm? Yeah?" I answered absentmindedly, still worried about Arizona's sudden departure.

"I need to talk to you about Aria." I snapped my head up to her immediately.

"Aria? What about her, is she okay?" I hadn't had much time to talk to my sister since Terri's death and then subsequent revival.

"She's fine, but I'm worried about her being with Athena." My mother's tone was cryptic and I involuntarily rolled my eyes. _Always with the cryptic messages._

"Could you be more specific?"

"I'm worried about her safety, Athena isn't in a very good place right now and she's out of control. I'm worried about how that'll affect her." I contemplated this for a while and saw that my mother did have a point. Terri had been acting weird during the ceremony and in turn so was Aria and Lexie, but I'm sure it was nothing.

"I'm sure it's nothing Mama. Terri loves Aria, I know that for sure, she'd never hurt her." I reassured her.

"That's what Aria said, but she's my daughter, Calliope, and I want nothing but the best for you two. I don't want Aria to have to go through this."

There was a feeling in the back of my mind that I couldn't shake off. "You've talked to Aria already? What did she say?" I thought for a moment before amending my statement, "No, what did _you_ say to her?"

She was silent and I felt my hackles rise. _Don't tell me…_

"… I… I told her that Athena was dangerous and unpredictable, and that it was in her best interest to stay away from Athena until she regained control. She was rather…upset at me." Her voice was quiet and I sighed deeply at this. _Oh Mama, what have you done?_

"Mama, you know how Aria feels about Terri, why would you say that? Of course Aria would be 'upset'. You basically told her you're trying to keep her away from her _mate_, her _destined lover_ and her _everything_!" I replied in astonishment.

"I don't want Aria to have to go through this." She repeated sadly.

"Mama, look at it from an outsider's point of view. You had no concerns of how it would affect _me_ when Arizona went through her revival, in fact, you pretty much encouraged and started the process. Not to mention you had been preparing me for such a task since you found out about us." My mother was staring at me intently, confused as to why I was bringing it up. "Now let's put ourselves in Aria's shoes. We gave her up to Terri so I could be with Arizona. _You_ were willing to do anything just so I could be a part of Arizona's revival, to 'make up for your sins' or whatever right?" She nodded at me slowly. "Okay, and now Aria's practically going through the same thing, and not only are you not supporting her, you're trying to keep her away from Terri. How do you think Aria would feel?"

"It's not the same thing Calliope!" My mother stated, clearly frustrated.

"Isn't it?" I shot back.

"Of course not, how could you even suggest such a thing?" My mother actually looked offended and I sighed again. I clearly wasn't getting through to her.

* * *

"Look, _you_ were the one who was excited over finding out that Aria was destined to be the Bride of the Crown, so _you_ started to prepare her as well, telling us about vampires and everything. _You_ were to one to send the _both_ of us to Seattle to meet with them. _You_ were to one to start the revival, and then Terri forced your hand into giving up Aria to her." I could see her getting angered at all the blame I was placing on her, but that really wasn't the point I was trying to make, so I hurried on. "We all made a mistake when we left her, but _you_ also made your own decision to leave Terri's side. _You_ failed to trust in the person you had vowed to protect, no, not just you, _all of us_ failed Terri and as a result, _she_ died for us. Terri died to protect us, and Aria has been by her side all this time to see what Terri has been through, how much she had suffered. You _saw_ how much it hurt Aria when Terri died, you've seen their devotion to one another. So why is it that you're suddenly so wary of Terri, so disapproving of her?"

I knew that I had rambled on, and probably didn't make any sense, but I had too many thoughts on their current situation and I didn't understand why my mother was suddenly so against them.

"It's not that I don't see their devotion or their love, it's just… Athena-" She was hesitant in her answer and it suddenly clicked.

"That's it isn't it? It's because of Terri. Because _Terri_ is the Crown and not _Toby?_" I asked incredulously. _Was my mother seriously going to suddenly become homophobic? Because that would really not settle down with me._

"No!" She shouted suddenly, drawing stares from the rest of our group who had gathered together to discuss the situation with Lexie's new form and the broken bond between them and Terri. She composed herself immediately and started again in a lower voice. "No, it's not because of Athena… Well, not exactly."

"And that means?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"The visions I have seen were always with Dionysus as the Crown, but suddenly, Dionysus dies and is revealed to be a traitor and my visions no longer made any sense to me. The Crown in my vision is powerful, intelligent, fearless and a strong leader, but Athena doesn't fit the mold."

"What do you mean? Terri is anything but weak, you've seen her battle against Erica, and she hadn't even been crowned yet. And the fight with Hades, tell me that's not power, because if that isn't, then I don't know what is." I replied, absolutely puzzled. Terri has been nothing but amazing since I'd met her, and sure I've had my reservations about her, but there is no doubt that Terri is a great leader, her saving Arizona's parents by herself prove just that.

"I'm not explaining myself properly." She sighed, irritation displayed all over her face.

"_Clearly_." I replied immediately.

"I've known Athena since she was a very young child, and she has always been a perfectionist. She has never failed to perform and never failed to obey. She has never complained about any task we placed upon her, nor did she ever protest any punishments we exacted on her." She started to explain with a faraway look.

"So what's the problem? She sounds like the perfect person to me, I'm almost jealous." I joked.

"It makes her _unpredictable_." I tilted my head in confusion. _Well that was unexpected._

"Unpredictable. How?" I asked impatiently and my mother gave me a look that clearly said 'patience Calliope, I'm getting there'.

"It means that we were not able to see her true self, and that she was unwilling to be anything other than the perfect soldier in our presence. And it would seem like she's retained that trait even in adulthood. There are too many sides to her and it's hard to tell which one is the true her."

"So you're saying you're wary of her because none of you can get a good read of her?" I asked in disbelief. _All this because Terri is a 'mystery' to them, really?_

"It's one of the reasons Zeus adores her so much. She's a wildcard. She'll do exactly what he wants, but she'll play it out in a way that's far beyond our imagination. Take these last few months for example. Zeus had wanted Athena to save Poseidon and Aphrodite, but we had _never_ imagined that she'd lead a direct attack and then confront Hades. Nor had we imagined that she'd plant Apollo as a spy. The result was even better than Zeus had predicted, because we had managed to take out a good portion of Hades' army and injure Styx _and_ Hades in the process. She goes above and beyond, but her methods are questionable. Perhaps there would have been another way that didn't include temporarily breaking the relationship between Apollo and all of us, injuring Apollo or having Artemis feel so betrayed and disgusted that she abandoned her post."

"Okay, I agree with you that Terri's methods are a bit extreme, but she got the job done and more. She got information on Hades' whereabouts, full information of the room and the binding that Arizona's parents were held in and so she was able to take precautions, I mean she saved everyone and made Hades withdraw!"

"But at what cost?" My mother replied solemnly. "She gave her life in the process."

"Yeah, to protect _us_. She gave Arizona her family back." I shot back.

"But that's not the _only_ reason."

"What do you mean?"

"She gave her life to force Zeus to return." I froze in shock.

* * *

"You're lying." _She had to be, Terri wouldn't do that._

"Athena knew that we didn't have enough power to do anything other than injure Hades. He has too many tricks up his sleeve to be taken out completely without the King, so Athena has been working to destroy as many of Hades' pawns as possible, to make it easier to us to proceed. But at the end of the day, we still needed the King's power, as powerful as Athena is, she still didn't have full access to the power of the crown, so it wasn't enough."

"What, so she just gave up her life in the hopes that Zeus would return to save her? That's stupid, and Terri isn't stupid enough to take that risk!" I spat back, angered at what she was suggesting.

"No, she wouldn't take that risk. But once the King sensed her life force fade away, he would have to return, otherwise we would be left without a leader. We would become vulnerable and fall to pieces under Hades."

_No, no, no! It made sense, but I refused to believe it. Terri knew that her death would destroy Aria, she wouldn't do that to her… Would she?_

"Wait, it doesn't make sense. When did Zeus ask Terri to save the Robbins'?" I asked warily.

"The Crown had been tasked with this ever since they went missing. At first, it was Dionysus' mission, but after he died it became Athena's."

"So that means some twenty years ago?"

"No, it was automatically placed onto her, but the King never directly asked her until a few months before his disappearance, 12 years ago."

I smiled, there was still hope for Terri. "Then it definitely doesn't make sense. Tim said that he and Terri had planned for him to become a spy after Toby died, _20 years ago_. So there's no way she could have planned for _everything_ to happen if she wasn't given the mission until 8 years later. I mean, I get that Terri's smart and all, but I don't buy it."

She sighed at my naivety. "Calliope," she began slowly, "You have all already been informed of her revival 20 years ago, and during that time, she developed new powers. Through the influence of Master Theia, Athena developed the power of foresight, and the ability to enter one's subconscious minds."

"You're joking…" I stared on in awe as I was struck by the memory of Terri mentioning she had 'seen into Arizona's mind' and the thoughts of her pushing visions into my mind when we were in Miami. She had told me that it was 'something she picked up' from being related to Theia, but it made more sense now.

"I wish I was Calliope, but Athena's ability is far more advanced than my own, having been enhanced by the royal bloodline and her position as the Crown. From what Master Theia has told me, after her first revival, Athena spent many nights perusing through someone else's mind. She spoke to them within their subconscious world, interacted with them on a daily basis and was able to influence certain decisions they made."

"W-who was it?" I was almost afraid to ask, I was even more afraid of the answer.

"Athena never told her, but from what has happened, we can hypothesise that it was most likely… Hades."

_No…Fucking…Way!_

I stared at her, mouth agape and eyes wide, I was absolutely speechless.

"Do you remember that day in Seattle, when Tim mentioned his plan with Terri and how they had 'swayed' Hades into misinterpreting the prophecy of Artemis and Iphigenia?" I nodded. "It was most likely Athena's influence on Hades. She was still young and had no real control over the power, so she wasn't able to completely control him, and Master Theia mentioned that once Hades finally met Athena face to face, there was no way for her to enter his mind without him recognising her any more."

"Y-you're serious?" I stuttered, still dazed from the revelation.

"I am." My mother looked directly into my eyes, trying to convey her sincerity and honesty.

Before I could utter another word, my eyes suddenly flashed gold as a burning sensation filled my body, starting from my chest and I doubled over at the shock.

"Calliope!" My mother's worried yell drew the attention of my friends and they all came running over to me.

"Cal, are you okay?" came Addie's light voice, filled with concern.

"Cal!" Mark's deep voice echoed in my head. My senses were on overload and I could see, hear, feel, smell, and taste everything around me. My head flew back and I let out a gasp as the sensation suddenly disappeared, falling back into Mark's arms.

"What the hell just happened?" Teddy's voice was frantic, worried that we were under attack.

My mother kneeled beside me and moved my shirt aside to reveal where Arizona's mark was. It felt like it was still burning and was tender when my mother traced her finger over the mark.

"Is that…?" Addie's asked in disbelief.

"Yes, it is the mark of the Crown." My mother answered.

"But how?" Alex asked gruffly, "Terri's not around to mark her." He was the only one to have ever received the mark, so he was confused as to how I had gained it without contact with Terri.

"Because whatever happens to Artemis happens to Calliope."

"You mean?" Mark asked, stunned.

"Athena has marked Artemis."


	26. Chapter 26: I Need You

A.N: I am _so_ sorry for how late this chapter is. I've been completely swamped with worked and it's taken me _5_ sittings just to finish this. Not to mention I've been a popular girl today. The Captain sent me her story to beta first, then sent me back mine to check and another writer had sent me her story to edit as well. Popular me! So once again, super amounts of apologies and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**To ImSoCooliPissIceCubes:** Man your name is long! Thank you for reading! But don't forget that sleep is important too, especially if you have work early. This story will always be here so take you time dude! Thanks again!

**To addictedgeek:** I always to enjoy seeing your name in the reviews, hope you did wait _too_ long for this chapter =]

**To willaw: **Ack, I'm dreading to write the final showdown, I feel like I'll have built up all this tension and expectation, only to fail at the very end! Terri will still remain a mystery for a little while, I've got more to write with Terri's new found coldness to everyone. Bleh, I haven't seen the new episodes because of work, though people tell me what happen and I'm super sad about what's happening with Callie/Arizona and Owen/Cristina now. Very sad!

**To Jessica Torres-Robbins: **I hope you don't hate Athena for _too_ long, there is a reason for everything. I mean Aria and Lexie were the _only_ ones to stand by her before, so you'd understand why Terri is wary and cold to everyone but them for now right?

**And finally to the Guest who asked me to update:** I hope I'm not too late? I'm glad curiosity doesn't kill, otherwise _I'd_ be dead ten times over, especially when it comes to reading the Captain's story and some other stories on the site. Everyone is so talented at creating amazing stories, and I'm honoured to be a part of that, and that ya'll are taking the time to read mine. Thanks!

Beta'd by none other than **2damnpretty2die**. Captain, where would I be without you?

* * *

Chapter 26: I Need You

Arizona p.o.v

I walked back in a daze. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Had Terri really claimed me? Was our relationship so broken down that she could no longer see me as an equal? But more importantly, why the hell did she feel so cold, so uncaring, and so… so _scary_? I have never been afraid of Terri, but when we were on the roof, I could feel my body subconsciously shaking and tensing, in the way it usually would when it was preparing itself for battle. Why would I react like that around Terri?

I was broken out of my thoughts by frantic shouts of my name and looked up to see that I had somehow made my way back to Calliope and my friends. My attention immediately zero'd in onto Calliope, who was still lying weakly in Mark's arms on the floor, and I ran over to her instantly.

"Calliope! Are you okay? What happened?" I reached out for her, only to be smacked away by an enraged Lucia Torres.

"Why don't you tell me, Artemis? What did you do?" She demanded.

"W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this!" She pulled away Calliope's top to reveal the still glowing mark on her chest. My mark was expected, but the presence of another one caught me off guard.

"T-that's-"

"The mark of the Crown, yes." Lucia answered, "So I repeat, what did you do?"

"I-I didn't know. How?" I stuttered, still in shock.

"You didn't know you'd been marked?" Addison asked incredulously.

"What? No! I know that, but I didn't know Calliope would be…" I stared at her guiltily, "I'm sorry, Calliope. I didn't know."

"It's okay Ari." Calliope soothed in a weak and fragile voice, making me feel even worse.

"She's your mate, whatever happens to you, happens to her. How could you forget that?" Lucia accused.

"I didn't forget!" I shouted, "But there was nothing else I could've done at that moment. I needed Terri to let me fight"

"So you got yourself a master, to be ordered into fighting, to be used and then disposed of whenever she wants to be a tool for her?" Addison spat. The rage that consumed me was so sudden and unexpected, I couldn't control it, and before I knew it I had grabbed Addison by the throat and lifted her up.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that!" I growled. "I didn't _want_ this. What I wanted was to be by the side of my best friend, to fight by her side, to _try_ and make up for all the sacrifices she made for me, for _us._ And if the only way she's willing to let me do that is by claiming me, then so be it. But I'll be damned if you _ever_ suggest that she's going to 'use and dispose' me."

"Arizona!" Teddy appeared by my side instantly and grabbed my shoulder. "Calm down, she didn't mean it like that. She's just protective of Callie." I was blinded by rage and shrugged Teddy off, growling and tightening my hand around Addison's throat.

"Ari…" Calliope's gentle voice cut through my haze and when my vision cleared, I was horrified by what I was doing. I let go immediately and backed away, guilt and shame written all over my face as Teddy held on Addison who was sending me glares of disbelief and shock.

"I-I'm sorry." What was happening to me? Her gaze softened and she cleared her throat.

"It's okay. _I'm_ sorry for what I said. You know, like Teddy said. I'm just protective of Callie, and when she suddenly dropped and screamed, I was just worried."

The guilt multiplied tenfold and I felt like I was drowning. I couldn't make eye contact with anyone, and I didn't even notice Calliope approach me until her hand made contact with my cheek.

"Ari, it's okay. _I'm_ okay. I was just shocked, but I'm okay." Her voice was so gentle and forgiving, and I could feel myself becoming calmer with her so close to me.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, a presence nearby alerted me and I could see my friends tensing in restrained anger.

"I'm glad you're all together. It makes this so much easier." The cold voice was unwelcoming and I tensed under Calliope's hand.

_Terri…_

* * *

"What do _you_ want?" Addison growled out, and Terri just raised a brow in amusement as Clio stepped forward. Terri waved her off and approached us with Aria and Lexie in tow.

"Mnemosyne, is this how you train your _pets_? They are so rude and uncouth; you better correct them before anyone catches them."

"We are _not_ pets!" Addison huffed out, clearly offended, as she stepped forward angrily. A raised sword pointed at her by, to my shock, Lexie, halted her immediately.

"Stand down." Lexie's cold and commanding voice caught us all off guard and Addison froze instantly.

"Come on, we're all friends here. Lexie, drop your sword." Aria's soft voice broke through the silence. Lexie stared silently at Addison for moments before finally complying, and dropping her hand, sword disappearing. Aria smiled in gratitude before turning to address us. "We're here because you need to train. Hades will only get stronger and you've all been slacking off in the last 6 months."

There was silence amongst us as she recalled _why_ we had been inactive for the past few months.

"So, Teddy, Addison, Mark and Alex will be training with Thalia and Clio. Callie, you're with me. Tim, Arizona, you'll be training with Lexie."

"Wait, what?" Mark asked, horrified that Lexie would be training Tim and I. "You're kidding right?"

"You heard me, Mark. Lexie will be training Tim and Arizona." Aria replied, amused. "And before you make any more pointless statements, let's just show you what we mean on the training grounds."

* * *

General p.o.v

Lexie stood calmly, with an intense cold aura pouring off of her in waves as she regarded her opponents. Addison stood perplexed at the situation, as Alex stared on in thought; Mark was apprehensive, not wanting to attack Lexie, whereas Teddy was just plain confused and lost. No one made a move, staring at each other unmoving as Terri and Aria watched on amused.

"They're not going to attack?" Aria whispered to Terri.

"They're scared." Was the simple reply, Terri's eyes never leaving Lexie.

"But it's _Lexie_, why would they be scared?"

"They are scared b_ecause_ it's Lexie." Aria tilted her head in confusion drawing a sigh from Terri. "_They_ care about her, and they still think she's the weak and hesitant fighter from when she was first sired."

"Oh. Well, I guess they're gonna be in for a shock huh?" Terri was silent, but Aria could tell from her silence and her gaze, that she was proud of Lexie's growth and she made a quick decision. "Hey, can I join?"

Though her head never moved, Terri's eyes glanced to her right briefly, at Aria, before flicking back to the scene before them. "Why?"

"Come on, I wanna fight." Aria whined, displeased by her answer.

"It's unnecessary for you to fight, not now anyway. This is about Lexie."

"But I'm bored!" Hoping for some response, she reached out to slowly stroke Terri's arm, drawing her attention, and when their eyes finally met, she pouted and dipped her head shyly, "_please_?"

Terri's smirk was her answer, and she grinned widely, pumping her arm for extra effect. "Yes! Love you babe!" She dropped a kiss onto Terri's still smirking lips and bounced off to the still unmoving group.

* * *

"Aria, what are you doing?" Callie exclaimed, shocked by her sister's calm and playful approach towards the tense atmosphere that had now surrounded the group.

"Joining in, I can't let Lexie have all the fun," she jovially replied.

"What? No! Are you insane?" Callie stepped forward, but was halted by Arizona.

"Calliope, I don't think you want to do that?"

"What are you talking about? That's my sister Ari, and she's being stupid."

"I mean, Aria isn't _just_ your sister anymore. She's _the Bride_ _the Crown._ She's Athena's mate." Arizona replied calmly, hoping to talk Callie out of her panic.

"But-"

"Artemis is right Calliope. She's more powerful than you could imagine." Lucia added.

Callie deflated with a huff. "Fine. Whatever, but if _anything_ happens, I'm getting involved with or without your help Ari."

Arizona shook her head at her antics, pressing her lips against her cheek. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less."

Callie smiled in return, happy with the response, but her grin quickly disappeared seeing Aria's blatant provoking towards their friends.

* * *

"Gosh, you guys really didn't understand the purpose of this little scrimmage did you?" Aria quipped as she stopped between Lexie and the others.

"Get out of here Aria, I don't want you to get hurt!" demanded Mark, and Aria raised a brow at him.

"You think _you_ can hurt me?" she scoffed, "you're kidding right?"

"Aria…" Addison let out a warning growl, to which Aria completely ignored and let her playful persona drop completely.

"Do _not_ order me around _pet_!" She hissed at her sister's best friends, "If you want to stay around, then you need to prove your _worth_."

They all gasped at her statement, excluding Lexie who had kept her cold eyes on her opponents and Terri who had remained emotionless at the exchange.

"Aria" Terri warned, not wanting her overconfidence and purposely provoking of the others to distract her from any surprise attacks.

Aria narrowed her eyes at Mark and Addison before turning her cold eyes to Lexie.

"The first attack is yours, _Chief Tactician_." Lexie smirked and disappeared at Aria's command. "Go!"

She reappeared just as quickly behind Addison and before anyone could react, she let out a small bolt of energy that sent her flying forward, past Aria, and into the ground.

Mark, Teddy and Alex leapt backwards at her presence and took up defensive stances.

"Addie!" Teddy called out in concern.

"I'm okay," she replied, coughing slightly as she staggered back to her unsteady feet, "just caught me off guard is all." She glared at Lexie before taking up her own stance and Aria chuckled.

"You were caught off guard even though I had already let you know that she was going to attack? Do you think Hades is going to be so lenient and _just_ use such a _weak_ little attack?" She trained her eyes on each of them. "If this was a real battle, Addison would be dead right now."

Alex was the first to recover from the shock and launched his own attack, sending bolts of lightning at Lexie, who swiftly evaded and deflect his attacks with one hand, angering him. He let out a powerful roar just as Teddy joined in the fray with her own attacks of fire and charged, using her attacks as distraction. He shimmered out of sight and reappeared behind Lexie, and just as he was about to attack, she disappeared and he was hit by a powerful ball of fire.

"Watch it Altman!" he growled.

"Maybe you should be more aware of what's going on around you Karev!" She shot back.

Any further conversation was cut short as Lexie sent out two quick bolts of energy and launched them into the ground, sending debris everywhere.

Addison emerged from the dust unexpectedly and sent a high kick to her head, which was easily blocked by Lexie's arm. She let out a quick succession of jabs, punches and kicks that were all blocked, before jumping back and sending a strong bolt of energy, which hit Lexie head on.

She landed, panting slightly, and let out a victorious smirk that was quickly wiped away when she felt a presence behind her. But it was far too late as Lexie had already sent a roundhouse kick that knocked her off balance and then pushed her palm into her stomach, releasing a bolt of lightning directly into her body.

Mark appeared behind Lexie and before she could react, had his arms wrapped around her in a tight hold. "Stop it Lex! Are you _trying_ to kill our friends?"

Lexie struggled, but was unable to get out of his strong hold, so she relaxed slightly, drawing Mark's curiosity, before she was overcome with a strong red aura and a powerful wave of energy expelled from her body, sending Mark flying.

* * *

"Jesus, is this still the same timid Little Grey from SGMW?" Callie asked, completely amazed by the sight before her. When she received no reply, she turned to look at Arizona who was captivated by the sight, but she could see the conflicting emotions swirling beneath. "Ari?" She reached out for her arm and was confused when Arizona flinched at the touch.

"Baby? Talk to me." She urged. There was a brief pause, in which she though Arizona hadn't heard her, but the deep sigh from the blonde told otherwise.

"It's just…" she started.

"Just what?" Arizona turned and made eye contact with Callie, guilt written all over her face.

"Lexie hates fighting. And now…" Arizona trailed off as she turned back to the sparring group. "Now, she's a fully-fledged warrior."

"What do you mean by that?" Callie asked curiously.

"I mean, there's absolutely no hesitation in her attacks, each attack is carefully calculated. Her attacks aren't made to cause damage, but to purely inflict pain. The pain would slow you down; it would distract you, and it isn't necessarily external injuries either. Her attacks are meant to create internal havoc." Callie's eyes widened as Arizona explained. "It's ridiculous, the precision of the attacks, it's all carefully planned out, just a split second before she makes the attack."

"W-where would she have learned something like that?" Callie asked horrified by the approach Lexie had taken.

"It's the same fighting style at Athena." Lucia answered. "Athena is smart, she's observant and a master of strategy. When she was younger and was forced into training with the Generals, she sustained so much damage, whereas they walked away without a scratch. Or so it would seem that way anyway."

"She recovered after a feed, all her wounds and bruises healed right up, but the Generals? They were unable to function properly, not even after a full feed, and it didn't make any sense." Arizona continued. "At first, they didn't believe that it had anything to do with the sparring with Terri, but after an intense battle that went underway and lasted about 6 hours in the forest, Terri recovered by the end of the day. But the Generals were knocked-out and sent to the healers, and they were absolutely horrified by the amount of internal damage they had; damage that wasn't only caused by that training session; it was older and hadn't received the proper care. The Generals were unaware of the internal damage and had continued with their daily routines, further irritating the injuries."

"It was only then that we discovered the genius, yet horrific style Athena fights in." Lucia added, eyes clouding over as if reliving the memories, "In a battle, external injuries can be overcome with feeding, or you use your own healing powers to begin tending to the wounds as you continue. However with the internal ones? You are not always aware of them and by the time you do, it's already too late. But not just that, Athena would create injuries onto the muscles, joints, and the nervous system, so by the time you _do_ realise what's happened, you're already too weak to defend.

If you tried to stop and heal the internal injuries, then Athena would have plenty of time to create enough _external_ damage to incapacitate you, and if you tried to ignore the internal injuries, then eventually your body would give out on you without being able to control it. Either way, you lose. Athena's fighting style is to _permanently_ take you out of the game."

Callie stared on horrified at the sadistic torture Terri would inflict, "b-but… That doesn't make sense! I-I mean, what about her fight with Hades?"

"Calliope," Lucia began softly, "Do you remember the time when Athena confronted Hades _alone_ and came back completely unscathed?" Callie nodded wordlessly; the painful and inhumane screams would haunt her forever. "Those screams were not from any external injuries. It was purely an attack on the internal system. She was basically setting his nervous system on fire and tearing apart his muscles from the inside out. When her power hits you, you'd expected it to be an external attack and you automatically set up a barrier to protect anything from entering or exiting, unfortunately that also means you lock her attack in, securing the fact that the attack is unable to escape."

"Being a surgeon, it means that Terri has a thorough understanding of what would hurt the most and how to inflict it in a way so you would feel every second of it." Arizona added darkly. "And now, it would seem that Lexie has somehow picked up that style."

"She's called the 'Chief Tactician' for a reason." A deep voice interrupted, and they turned to see Tim. "Lexie is special to Terri because of how observant she is. Her photographic memory is also a bonus, which means she can replicate an attack almost exactly, and it only makes sense for her to pick up the most efficient and 'energy-saving' style. It means she spends less time in actual fighting and more time planning. But if you were to doubt her power, she could take you down and you wouldn't even know how or why."

"I guess it does make sense." Callie agreed.

"It doesn't make it okay!" Arizona growled, "Calliope, do you know why this style was created?" Callie shook her head. "It was created as a means of torture, to inflict as much pain on a person as possible without ever leaving a mark. It was the signature of the perfect interrogator. A skill only the most experienced and powerful vampire could ever manage. It is such a fine line between torturing someone and breaking them completely, go too far and the person dies or you risk the chance of overload and the person explodes. If you aren't in perfect control, then the attacks go haywire and the injuries all show up on the victim." Callie nodded, but still didn't quite grasp _why_ Arizona was so worked up.

"Calliope, it was a fucking _game_ they created! To see how powerful one was, they would test on strays and _humans_ to see how far they could get to the point of no return, to see how far their own control went. It was a sick and sadistic game they created! Terri somehow picked it up and now Lexie has too!" she screamed, frustration evident in her voice.

"Terri had once promised us to stop using this method, once Ari had expressed her horror and disgust at it." Tim added softly, trying to soothe his sister's anger. "And more importantly, she had promised to stop this method from existing outside of very extreme cases, even during interrogations. She had promised that unless they were out of options and it was the very last choice, this cruel way of fighting would never be brought to light ever again."

"She broke a promise to you." Callie said in realization. She knew that Terri was very loyal to her words, and to her family, so this was a blatant disregard of Arizona and Tim. It was a show of Terri's change since her revival.

"It's not just that." Tim said quietly, "This method isn't just about physical attacks, it's the mental ones too. To mentally and emotionally break someone down until submission is no longer a choice, but a necessity.

Callie gasped as she finally understood what was really happening. "Arizona…" Her heart broke at the despair in her eyes.

"Terri broke that promise when she forced Arizona to pledge. Arizona didn't have the choice of _not_ submitting, she _had_ to."

"You're wrong you know?" Another voice shocked them, and they tensed in preparation to attack until the familiar aura drifted into their senses.

"Elizabeth." Lucia acknowledged.

"_Terri_ was the one who didn't have a choice. She didn't break anything. _Athena_ was the one to do it. She's the one who uses this method of fighting. _Terri_ had adapted to a purely physical way of fighting." She continued.

"What does that mean?" Arizona spat out angrily, but Elizabeth only gave them a sad smile, focusing her attention on the group in front.

* * *

Mark, Addison, Alex and Teddy stood bent over panting and sweating. They barely had any physical wounds, but they could feel their bodies slowing down and their reaction times faltering. It didn't make any sense to them as they could feel their energy levels still pretty high, but they were exhausted, in pain and just wanted to keel over and die. Lexie, on the other hand, had not even broken a sweat and had remained emotionless throughout the entire exchange.

"Are you done already?" Aria's joyful voice broke them out of their musings and they cursed under their breaths.

"I thought you wanted to join Aria?" Terri's amused voice cut in.

"Oh Baby," she drawled, "Lexie seems to have things under control, and they're already at a disadvantage." She gestured to the panting and sweating messes, "it wouldn't be very nice to further their _humiliation_, I mean we don't want to break them _completely_ now do we?" she smirked.

That did it. Alex and Teddy let out powerful roars as their aura shot up, releasing their seals and charging forward. Lexie shifted in preparation for their attack, but was caught off guard when Alex strayed from his path and went after Aria.

"Alex, no!" came Callie's cry of panic, but Aria just continued to smirk as her browns eyes shifted, first to red, then gold, and stood her ground as she met Alex head on.

Her left hand came up to grab onto the wrist of Alex's outstretched right arm and her right came up around his throat. Digging her claws in, she shifted and slammed him into the ground as the area around them cracked and shook from the energy. Red sparks lit up in her eyes, and she let out a bright grin, elongated fangs protruding from her lips, and Alex let out a gasp of shock as pain overcame his entire system and his body went slack, paralyzed and unable to move. She stared into his eyes and snapped at him playfully before removing her hands, leaving five small puncture marks on this throat and around his wrist. He didn't understand what had just happened, there were no additional injuries to his body, so why was there all this pain?

On the other side, Lexie narrowed her eyes and had intercepted Teddy mid-stride with a powerful uppercut, sending her airborne. She summoned a blade made purely of energy in her right hand, and appeared in front of a still airborne Teddy, throwing out her left arm, palm forward, a powerful wave of energy send Teddy backwards. Flashing quickly behind her, Lexie slashed down diagonally with her blade, from right to left. Addison cried out in panic as she watched the blade go completely through Teddy's body and she was slammed into the ground.

The ground cracked and Teddy struggled to move, lifting her head slightly, before dropping back onto the broken ground, exhausted and overwhelmed by pain. She didn't understand, not that she was complaining, but there was not a single drop of blood from where the blade had gone clean through her, no mark, no sign whatsoever, but she could still feel it. The pain and energy coming from it still reverberating throughout her system, overloading her already confused mind and so she lay there unmoving.

Addison rushed over to Teddy and lifted her head so it rested in her lap. "God, Teddy, are you okay?" Her hands were a flurry of movement, as she couldn't decide where to place them, scared of aggravating any unseen injuries.

"I-" Teddy's voice was husky and she coughed to clear it, "I'm fine… I think. Just really confused, and kind of horrified that _Lexie Grey_ just kicked my ass. Also kind of really impressed that _Lexie Grey_ just kicked my ass." She laughed, groaning as the movement caused pain the exploded everywhere.

Addison laughed, relieved that Teddy was still so upbeat, but was cut short as Lexie approached them, blade still in hand. She tensed in fear of the blade and closed her eyes, ready for the attack.

"That's enough now." Terri's voice commanded, and when she reopened her eyes, she saw Lexie's had extended to her. She narrowed her eyes at the offered hand and was shocked when Teddy's pale hand landed in it.

Lexie pulled her to her feet and Teddy smile brightly, despite her pain. "Good match, you sure showed us." Lexie just nodded before walking over to Terri and Aria, who was already at her side.

Addison turned to see Mark supporting a struggling Alex, as they walked over to them.

"I'm sure you now understand my reasons?" Terri asked. "The _four_ of you didn't stand a chance against Lexie, the person you once acknowledged as the _weakest_ of the group." Her eyes glanced across the four, before landing on Alex. "And Alex, you were quite efficiently and effortlessly taken down by Aria, even _after_ the additional power from the seal." Alex grunted at the direct reprimand, clearly annoyed, but couldn't deny the fact that it _was_ quite effortless on Aria's part.

"Do you understand what I mean when I say you are too weak right now? It is not to insult you, nor a payback for leaving 6 months ago, I am merely pointing out a fact." Terri continued. "There is no doubt that the leaving played a great part in this, so may I suggest that you spend less time questioning and doubting me and more time just _listening_?"

The four stood silently, mulling over the fact that Terri was right, and the last part was clearly a reference to the unjustified abandonment 6 months ago.

"Starting the day after tomorrow, the four of you will train with Thalia and Clio, Artemis and Apollo will train with Lexie and Calliope will train with Aria, is that understood?"

The four nodded obediently, heads bowed in defeat and submission.

"Good, then you are all dismissed." With that, Terri turned and walked away.

"Wait!" Arizona called out.

"I said, _dismissed_." Terri replied, tone sharp and cold, and Arizona straightened up involuntarily, bowing her head.

"R-right." She stuttered dejectedly.

* * *

General p.o.v – Hades and Erica

Erica stood in the darkened throne room, weakened by her encounter with first Terri, and then Poseidon, as she watched her father rant angrily about the events.

"I _cann__o__t_ believe what happened. I will not tolerate disobedience, nor disrespect! How did Athena even know where they were? And the charm! Poseidon and Aphrodite should have died the moment they left that room!" he roared.

"Maybe you should have listened to me and _not_ have trusted Apollo into our camp." She muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" His sharp tone caused her to straighten.

"I-I said, maybe it had something to do with Apollo?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Apollo? He knew of nothing. If anything, it would have been that pathetic, useless piece of trash Graham."

She flinched at the mention of the man that was like a brother to her. Brother… Her mind was drawn back to what she had seen. _I still have family left, Athena… She's my half-sister. Why has father never told me? And Dionysus, he made me kill him, did he know that he was Trevor's twin?_

"Did you know that Dionysus and Trevor were twins?" she blurted suddenly, and recoiled immediately, cursing herself for losing control at a time like this.

"What? That doesn't matter; they were both useless and disposable. They couldn't even get a simple task completed, unlike you, my dear Erica. Athena tells me that you _were_ successful in your attempts to kill her. Zeus and his band of merry men had gotten involved and somehow revived the little bitch."

'_Maybe you should have believed me the first time around. I _watched_ her die' _she thought angrily.

"I want you to go kill Athena's bride."

"What? Why? It won't make any difference, Athena's power isn't linked to her mate!" Erica exclaimed in surprise.

"I don't care about that. Athena has been a thorn in my side for too long and she's spoiled _so many_ of my plans. I just want to teach her a little lesson." He grinned evilly.

"Like when you planted Dionysus in her life and then killed our… _her_ mother?"

He stared at her with his sharp eyes, mouth drawn into a tight line. "You have _never_ disappointed me _daughter_, so don't start now. It would be a shame to have to replace you at such a short notice. I have spent far too long training and perfecting you to be the heir I need, and even now, you are _nowhere_ near where I want you to be. It would be such a chore to train someone new." He stated plainly and Erica stared up in shock.

"W-what? I'm your heir by right! I'm your daughter and I share your blood!"

"Ah, _tsk tsk tsk_, since when have you developed such a _naïve_ sense of the world? It is the type of idea the Zeus would plant into his men." Hades smirked at her, "Let me tell you something _Erica_, to me, heirs have _nothing_ to do with blood. Anyone can be an heir. You want power? I can give you power, the serum we developed can work on _any_ of our men, or have you forgotten already? What I need is an heir who will listen and heed to _only_ me. They will sit when I tell them to, stand when I say, speak when I command them to, and they _will_ kill whomever and _whenever_ I tell them to." His voice reached a roar, before he calmed. "Blood means nothing."

* * *

Erica paled, his words hitting deeper than she had ever expected. All she had ever wanted was to make her father proud, to support him in his plans. She fought harder than anyone, become colder and stronger, all so he would notice her. She tried to make up for the fact that her brother had died, tried to do everything that Trevor should have been the one to do, but in the end, nothing mattered. Hades _never_ saw her as his child, he only saw her as a soldier, a tool to be used in war, and that hurt her more than she could imagine.

"Will you be the one to kill the bride or do I need to search for a new heir?" Hades asked her.

"I-I'm still not 100 per cent yet, the injuries will hold me back, I just need some time to heal." She replied.

He scoffed displeased. "Go to the healers and use more of the serum, it will give you the power you need to fulfil the task. You do not need me to tell you this Erica, you _know_ this."

"B-but, my body still hasn't recovered from the overload of the serum from before. It will _kill _m-"

"-Are you disobeying me?" He cut her off, unwilling to listen to her pleas. "Just go pick up a nice juicy human before you use the serum, and it will cancel out the effects, there will be no _harm_ done to you."

"I-I can't. I just need some time." She begged. She had never imagined him to be so cold and uncaring towards her. Perhaps they had never had a normal kind of father-daughter relationship. But never, in her entire existence, had he made such a blatant dismissal of her wellbeing. "_Please!_"

He sighed, "I am _very_ disappointed in you Erica. I thought that you of all people would understand the importance of our goals. Especially after all this disappointment I have faced lately, I never thought that _you_ would join them." He stared right into her eyes and she felt like he was staring into her soul, it made her shiver in fear. "You have one week to 'heal' and such, and then you must leave. I don't care _what_ you're condition is by then, because if the serum doesn't kill you, _I_ will." He stared at her, making sure she heard and understood his orders before turning away, dismissing her.

Erica left the room in a daze, completely overwhelmed by emotions. She wanted to cry, but she wouldn't allow it. She would _never_ allow _anyone_ to see her weaknesses, especially not her father, if she could even call him that anymore.

She recalled the memories she had seen of Athena, Dionysus and their parents. They were really happy, and she actually felt guilty that Dionysus had been playing them all. She saw Artemis and Apollo and the bond between the three. She remembered the anger, concern, worry and fear that Poseidon and Aphrodite had displayed when they entered the room to see her father hovering over a broken and weak Athena. She envied them for having so many people to love them. She envied them for having family that supported them, and she _hated_ the fact that she wished she had something like that.

She couldn't hold it in anymore and flashed through the corridors, knocking over stray soldiers in her rush and stormed into her room, slamming the door closed behind her. She leaned onto the door and let the hot tears pour down her face.

She couldn't deal with it anymore, it was too painful. She closed her eyes and sought out the aura signature that she had never, in a million years, _ever_ imagined she'd call out for. When she finally found it, as weak as it was, she latched onto it like it was her lifeline and she begged, letting her pain, her anguish and her despair show through her broken voice.

"_I need you…"_


End file.
